BMW and Daimler are to jointly develop and purchase seat frames as part of their cooperation agreement designed to save cost.

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A BMW spokesman told Der Speigel magazine the project will focus on metal seat frames for some models, with the exterior finish still done independently.

The spokesman added: “In cooperation talks, BMW and Daimler decided in future to jointly develop and purchase the structures of seats for some of their models.”

Spiegel said the two companies would invest millions of euros in the project, which could yield up to EUR200m (US$257.5) in annual savings.

The companies have identified a number of components that could be jointly purchased, the spokesman said. 

BMW and Daimler announced over a year ago that they would cooperate on some future projects in order to cut costs.

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