Mercedes-Benz and BMW have long had one of the toughest rivalries in the automotive world. But the two companies may soon share more than just a place in German motoring history: engines.
According to Autocar UK, a Mercedes source revealed that the carmaker is in advanced talks about adopting BMW's four-cylinder petrol engine in a variety of its future cars. Official word on whether such a collaboration will indeed go ahead is expected by the end of the year.
One would naturally wonder: what led to Mercedes mulling such a move? If you didn't already know, the Stuttgart-based carmaker finds itself in a state of crisis, of sorts. Mercedes was previously very vocal about its ambitions to phase out internal combustion engines by the end of this decade, a plan that it has now had to abandon.
Owing to a slower-than-expected pace of acceptance for electric vehicles, particularly in the premium class, the company chose to hold back on its all-electric commitments.
With Mercedes now continuing production with combustion engines at least for the coming decade, it finds itself ill-equipped to produce all of the ICE powertrains it needs, which I think is especially the case for high-volume models like the new CLA-Class. This might have ultimately led the carmaker to make the move of turning to perhaps its biggest rival, fellow German automaker BMW.
This unlikely partnership, first unearthed by Germany's Manager Magazin, would see BMW provide a new generation of petrol engines for use in Mercedes vehicles ranging from the CLA to the GLA, GLB, C-Class, E-Class, and GLC, as well as the future "Little G."
BMW's B48 turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four is likely the one engine that Merc is after. Apparently, Benz CEO Ola Källenius approached BMW over a year ago, and the two have been working on technical specifics ever since.
For BMW, this will not be the first deal of its kind. The company already supplies engines to various automakers. The list is as expansive as it can get: JLR, Range Rover, Ineos, and Toyota. Adding Mercedes-Benz to that list wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.
As for Merc, this too will not be the first deal of its kind. The carmaker has used Nissan and Renault's powertrains in the past. The most recent is the deal with Geely and Renault's joint venture Horse Powertrain, for turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engines to power hybrid variants of the next-generation CLA-Class.
The collaboration would likely benefit both automotive giants. For Mercedes, it will significantly lower R&D expenses for future four-cylinder models while focusing on six- and eight-cylinder engines. For BMW, it would likely result in greater revenue by utilizing spare manufacturing capacity at its Steyr plant in Austria.
If the collaboration does indeed come to fruition, the two companies might as well expand joint production outside Europe. The plethora of American tariffs might force carmakers’ hands to start producing in America. For the time, all we can do is wait and watch.
Via: Autocar UK
