Following several years of collaboration with Israeli technology firms, the BMW Group has revealed plans to open an office for trend and technology scouting in Tel Aviv.
A small, agile team of experts from various disciplines will network intensively with local startups, evaluating and driving forward relevant trends, technologies and innovations. The team will also seek to set up joint research projects with universities.
“Tel Aviv has one of the fastest growing startup scenes in the world – especially in important future fields for us such as autonomous driving or connectivity,” explained Klaus Fröhlich, member of the board of management of BMW. “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.”
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 Israel’s innovative companies and ecosystem.”
In addition to the existing technology offices in the USA, China, Japan and South Korea, the facility in Tel Aviv will be the fifth of its kind within the global R&D network of the BMW Group. It is due to open in mid-2019.