BMW Group to expand global R&D network: Technology Office due to open in Tel Aviv in 2019

Munich. The BMW Group has been collaborating with
Israeli firms from various technology fields for a number of years
now. The company has now announced that it will open an office for
trend and technology scouting in Israel. “Tel Aviv has one of the
fastest growing startup scenes in the world – especially in the
important future fields for us such as autonomous driving or
connectivity”, explained Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of
Management of BMW AG, Development. “By establishing a presence in Tel
Aviv, we will secure even faster access to the relevant trends and
technologies, be it with startups or universities.” The BMW Group
Technology Office in Tel Aviv is due to open in Israel’s technology
hotspot midway through 2019.

The small, agile team consisting of experts from various disciplines
will network intensively with local startups, 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.

In response to the announcement, the Israeli Minister of Economy and
Industry, Eli Cohen, said: “The mobility and smart transportation
sector is one of the fastest growing in the world. The opening of the
BMW Group Technology Office in Israel is a vote of confidence in the
Israeli innovative companies and ecosystem.” Cohen added, “It is yet
another proof that 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 USA, China,
Japan and South Korea, the Technology Office in Tel Aviv will be the
fifth of its kind within the global RD network of the BMW Group.

The company already today operates more than 20 RD facilities in
eight countries. Working closely with the central development
departments in Munich, each individual location is instrumental in
securing early access to trends and technologies in order to be able
to shape future mobility and bring the best possible offers to our customers.