BMW is to open an office for trend and technology scouting in Israel.
“Tel Aviv has one of the fastest growing start-up scenes in the world – especially in important future fields for us such as autonomous driving or connectivity”, said BMW board member, Klaus Fröhlich.
“By establishing a presence in Tel Aviv, we will secure faster access to the relevant trends and technologies, be it with start-ups or universities.” The BMW Group Technology Office in Tel Aviv is due to open in Israel’s technology hotspot midway through 2019.
The small, team consisting of experts from various disciplines will network with local start-ups, evaluate and drive forward relevant trends, technologies and innovations. The full spectrum of technology enterprises based in Israel will be considered and the team will also seek to set up joint research projects with universities.
“The mobility and smart transportation sector is one of the fastest growing in the world,” added Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen.
“The opening of the BMW Group Technology Office in Israel is a vote of confidence in the Israeli innovative companies and ecosystem. It is proof in this new era of the automotive industry, with the strong focus on innovative technologies, the State of Israel can and does play a key role.”
In addition to the existing Technology Offices in the US, China, Japan and South Korea, the Technology Office in Tel Aviv will be the fifth of its kind within the global R&D network of the BMW Group.
The company already operates more than 20 R&D facilities in eight countries.
