Microsoft and BMW are very close to signing a new deal for Windows Phone, as the German car manufacturer is considering replacing phones currently owned by its staff with brand new Lumia models.

Reports coming from German media indicate that BMW and Microsoft have already negotiated on this partnership, and if both reach an agreement, the Redmond-based tech giant might score one of the biggest wins for the Windows Phone platform.

At this point, Windows Phone only has a 3 percent market share worldwide, so it’s pretty clear that, in order to win ground and compete with rivals Android and iOS, Microsoft must sign more such deals with large companies that can purchase not one or two Lumias, but several thousands.

This is the case of BMW, as the German manufacturer is apparently planning to purchase nearly 60,000 Windows Phone handsets in order to replace the Symbian phones currently being used by its staff.

Two models on the table right now

WPArea writes that BMW is currently looking at two different models, both of which are already on the market under the Nokia brand.

One of them is the Lumia 630, currently one of the most popular Windows Phone devices on the market and coming with a 4.5-inch screen, 512 MB of RAM, and 8 GB of storage space. Lumia 630 would be specifically purchased for employees, the source says, while executives would actually get the Lumia 930 flagship model.

Lumia 930 has a 5-inch screen, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage space, and is right now one of the best Windows Phone devices on the market. Together with the Lumia 1520, the 930 could help Microsoft compete against iOS and Android in the high-end market.

What happens next?

While the exact terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed until now, there’s no doubt that selling 60,000 Windows Phone handhelds in a shot is a really important financial win for Microsoft.

At the same time, moving BMW from Symbian to Windows Phone would also boost the number of apps currently available in the Windows Phone Store, as the German manufacturer would have to port its apps, now offered to Android and iOS users only, to Microsoft’s own platform as well for obvious reasons.

Nothing is confirmed so far, but we’ve already reached out to Microsoft for more information on a possible deal with BMW and will update the article when and if we get an answer. Obviously, expect a public announcement on this once the deal is completed.