BMW to sell engines to Mercedes, others
BMW, the Munich-based German automaker, is reportedly in discussion with other automakers -- rivals in some cases -- to sell their engines and transmissions. Klaus Draeger, BMW's head of development, told Auto Motor und Sport that the automaker is in advanced talks with Mercedes-Benz about licensing engines to its Stuttgart-based competitor.
Specifics have not been announced, but one likely candidate would be BMW's new V-12, set to debut in the new 7 Series and baby Rolls-Royce sedan. Mercedes would drop it under the hood of their flagship S-Class and Maybach. There was no mention about the possibility of BMW's twin-turbo inline-six finding itself under the hood of a Mercedes (while BMW continues to refine their award-winning inline-six powerplant, Mercedes dropped their popular straight-six in the mid-1990's and replaced it with a V6), but Draeger did hint that other automakers have approached the company about diesel engine technology. Engine and transmission sharing isn't uncommon in the industry, but such a move would be a first for the two companies, each longstanding rivals with products selling in the identical segments.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shiftright 7:07PM (10/24/2008)
What the hell is happening in the world? First GM possibly buying Chrysler, now the mighty Daimler Company buying engines from their arch rival? This all makes me very ill.
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tankd0g 7:37PM (10/24/2008)
Reverse globalism?
Axis 9:03PM (10/24/2008)
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides who knows what could come from this amalgam between MB and BMW, lots of cool stuff comes out when there's problems about. I for one will be watching this venture quite closely should it really happen.
Joakim 9:24PM (10/24/2008)
Yeah definitely putting a slowdown on engine evolution since it will mean less competition between the companies. A kind of cartell if you would like that really doesn't benefit us as costumers but the companies leaning on each other to make a bigger profit.
Well on the bright side, Mercedes owners will at last experience real engines under their hoods =)
Gabagool 9:48PM (10/24/2008)
@ Joakim, yeah, but only for NOW. Once we are out of the woods (sometime in 2010) things will go back to normal.
By the way yesterday i said that it would make sense for Chrysler to buy engines from another automaker. This only proves my point. If MB does it, no reason welfare case can't do it.
halogenrep 11:15PM (10/24/2008)
The falling demand for big V12 does not justify the huge sum of R&D. Sharing platform with MB will allow BMW to continue to develop V12s and beyond.
W. Kirk Crawford 7:36PM (10/24/2008)
I remember when we started to build a copy of W5A580 transmission, Mercedes stated they would never use any of our transmission into there products.
Tit for tat.
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AMG55 7:43PM (10/24/2008)
Wha??
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Martin 7:51PM (10/24/2008)
This makes little sense. Mercedes has a fine V-12, they even sell engines to Pagani and soon Aston Martin. What Mercedes desperately needs is a small and light I-4 for the upcoming new A- and B-class. BMW's Mini engine would be a nice fit.
I really think Autocar has this one wrong.
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FotoGenetix 8:11PM (10/24/2008)
The mini's turbo 4 is from the Peugeot 207
Mattias 7:53AM (10/25/2008)
No, the Prince engines were co-developed. The block is derived from the PSA TU series, but head, combustion chambers and VANOS are developed by BMW.
HeyHuub 9:46AM (10/25/2008)
What's wrong wih the current light inline 4's that Mercedes currently has?
andrey 8:00PM (10/24/2008)
Not a first for BMW, in the 80's they sold 524td (turbo diesel) engines to Ford for a Lincoln model and they were also used in a motor home. They've also supplied V8's to Morgan and others.
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Axis 8:59PM (10/24/2008)
Gonna be awkward to be opening a new benz's hood and seeing a bmw engine smiling right back at you.
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fixitfixitstop 5:16PM (10/25/2008)
It'll have a different valve covers and some silly vanity piece of plastic on it. Most people won't know the difference.
Robert Kamanzi 9:21PM (10/24/2008)
Okay, granted Mercedes V12 is a bi-turbo, it's still over 500 hp and BMW's V12 is still less than 450 hp, even if their new engine is that much better, can it beat the AMG V12?
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ichime 11:06PM (10/24/2008)
yeah, they're talking about the new twin turbo V12 that's going to be in the 7 series, and it's rumored to make at LEAST 540 horsepower.
Robert Kamanzi 1:28PM (10/25/2008)
That's still less than the AMG V12, same engine, just tweaked differently, so there's nothing there, unless their fuel economy is much better.
pmiddle5 9:25PM (10/24/2008)
Ridiculous.
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Sonny Crocket 9:38PM (10/24/2008)
"BMW, the Munich-based German automaker"
Oh that BMW!
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