Peugeot and Toyota Mull Partnership

London - You would think that the French and the Japanese would make strange bedfellows, or carfellows, as in this case, but they actually seem to get along very well and complement each other's management style. No one would have guessed that a Nissan-Renault partnership would have successfully turned Nissan around in such a short period of time. But thus far, the two automakers seem to be working very well together with plans to share everything, including platforms.

Not to be left out in the cold, rival Japanese maker Toyota has struck up its own discussions with PSA Peugeot-Citroen about sharing a platform in the future. Peugeot chairman Jean-Martin Folz confirmed today that his company was in discussions with Toyota and he implied that the discussions may go beyond one shared platform. "We are discussing various subjects with Toyota, including possible cooperation on a platform," he told the French press.

Folz acknowledges that tougher European environmental regulations and competition have forced his company to seek a partner. What he doesn't acknowledge is that Peugeot-Citroen is already a partnership, looking to partner up again. Nevertheless, such an arrangement could also be good for Toyota, providing assembly capacity on the European continent.