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PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes, Renault-Nissan to co-develop new turbo engines
The relationship between Mercedes-Benz and Renault-Nissan gets even cosier with new turbo petrol engines and Infiniti gearboxes announcedRenault-Nissan and Mercedes-Benz used the Paris Motor Show to confirm more joint development projects. Under the companies' wide-ranging partnership new four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines and an "efficient" gearbox with stop-start technology inbuilt will be jointly produced.
When Daimler (Mercedes) and Renault-Nissan signed a multi-billion dollar tie-up in April 2010, it confirmed that several vehicle platforms, engines and components would be on the cards. The development of a new four-cylinder petrol engine family is the latest project to be confirmed.
Specifications of the engines are not yet available, but the Franco-Germanic project will, the companies say, deliver turbocharged direct-injection petrol engines with "state-of-the-art technology in a compact package."
The engines are most likely to first see production in the next generation Renault Twingo (current model pictured) and smart fortwo vehicles.
Both Renault and Mercedes-Benz will manufacture the engines. They will make their first appearances in vehicles from 2016.
Daimler will take the lead on the new transmission project and will license the technology to Nissan for use in its Infiniti vehicles from 2016.
Nissan's subsidiary Jatco will manufacture the gearboxes in Mexico. They will feature shift-by-wire and stop-start technologies.
It's not clear if the gearboxes will be of a dual-clutch design.
"These new components demonstrate how broadly and rapidly our collaboration is proliferating – while all the time remaining rooted in specific projects that give tangible benefits to our customers,” Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said in Paris.
Daimler and Renault-Nissan are also jointly developing a new rear-wheel drive compact car platform that will underpin the next generation smart fortwo and Renault Twingo, the latter of which is being considered by Renault Australia for introduction in around four years time.
Daimler CEO Dr Dieter Zetsche said the sharing of technology development is going so smoothly between the German and French-Japanese companies that it could be expanded significantly in future.
"All our engineers are keeping an open mind, looking with fresh eyes at all potential new areas of collaboration," Dr Zetsche stated.
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Written byFeann Torr
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