Nissan will start building Mercedes engines starting with the new Direct Injected 1.8T four slated for the C-Class and Infiniti models when the W205 starts up here in the States. What's interesting is that each will hold a 3%+ stake in the others company....


Full Story from Autoweek: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2012...n=awdailydrive


Nissan to build Mercedes engines in Tenn. plant

Nissan Motor Co. and Daimler AG said they have agreed to produce four-cylinder Mercedes-Benz gasoline engines at Nissan's Decherd, Tenn., engine factory from 2014 to be fitted on Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti models. Nissan and its alliance partner Renault SA have a wide-ranging agreement with Daimler to share vehicle and powertrain technologies. The automakers launched the joint effort in April 2010. "This is the newest milestone in our pragmatic collaboration and our most significant project outside of Europe so far," Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said in a statement Sunday. "Localized capacity reduces exposure to foreign exchange rates while rapidly enabling a good business development in North America--a win-win for the Alliance and Daimler."

Daimler touted the plan as a way to provide a direct supply of engines for the Mercedes C-class vehicles produced at Daimler's plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said the plan fits the German automaker's 2020 expansion program. "We have decided that we will expand the production capacities required for this (expansion) close to the customers," Zetsche said in the statement.

A Nissan-Renault spokeswoman declined comment when asked which Infiniti model would be getting the new Mercedes engine. Nissan began powertrain assembly in Decherd in 1997. The plant now makes 4-, 6- and 8-cylinder engines for U.S.-produced Nissan and Infiniti vehicles. In 2011, Nissan said the Decherd plant produced more than 580,000 engines.

The Daimler and Renault-Nissan collaboration including an equity exchange that gives the Renault-Nissan Alliance a 3.1 percent stake in Daimler and Daimler a combined 3.1 percent interest in Renault and Nissan, the companies said.

Will the purists be angry when a Benz owner puts a "Powered by Nissan" badge on their trunk?

 

That's interesting because Nissan is Infinity which is in bed with Renault which is a competitor to Mercedes... things that make you go hmm

 

The purist already looks down upon the base C class owner. Just like we laugh at how the owners of Smart cars look really silly in their tiny car.

 

This is precisely why I found it interesting...

The presence of Infiniti brand representation on the 2012 RBR F-1 car will be even bolder than it was last year... from reliable sources.

Basically, Infiniti needs Daimler's refinement on it's motors (NVH), and Mercedes hasn't built a good 4-cylinder in decades. Should be a win for both.

 

So, what about SL owners looking down on SLK owners? Sorry you left that wide open...

 

The SLK is a beauticians car. I admit it, but the SL is too weighty. :-/ lol the C63 AMG BS looks amazing though.

 

But when you look at it, you've bought a 50k dollar 5 year old tech automobile :P

 

You lost me... which Benz is $50K? We've only mentioned five at this point

 

Wait for it ......wait for it ...........

 

You don't own a Benz, you own a Chryzler, and you know exactly what I'm talking about.

edited to give it the Jeremy Clarkson touch.

 

See, that's why I was lost.

The technology in my car is TEN years old (minimum), cost me $15K, and is still faster than yours. AMG power, baby

 

Where's the "like" button?

 

I just got an email from my co-partners in the SLK forum, the new car show in Detriot has this MB car, I thought it looked so much like our XF's! Side view, that is!

 

I think all current Mercedes roadsters, when viewed through squinted eyes, have characteristics found in the Crossfire roadster.

And no, I'm not saying "hey, they both have tires, therefore Merc is copying the Crossfire"

Take the SLS for instance... ignoring the obvious trim quality differences, I see the following similarities at a glance:

• Long hood
• Short boot
• Side strakes
• Staggered wheels
• Two-tone leather interior
• Comfy on the Autobahn
• Retractable Spoiler (same part number on the mechanism)
• Similar rake angle on windshield

With the top up on both, the "squint-eye" test makes them look even more similar.... A good thing for the Crossfire guys and gals, considering our cars cost less than the Carbon brake option on the SLS.

Performance isn't even in the same galaxy, but, the same basic driving emotions are evoked when you're doing any speed limit. Or, as I more often am doing, sitting in traffic

I see many of the same styling cues used in the R172 SLK, aside from the flip spoiler. Long hood, short decklid, side strakes, staggered wheels...

Yeah, we're driving some bargains

 

You're really reaching here lol

 

Not as much as you'd accuse me of... I made no bones about the Crossfire being in even the same class, let alone family, of the SLS Convertible. Performance is night & day. Interior fit and finish is leagues ahead of the Crossfire. Then again, so is the price.

You're looking at $200,000 for a SLS Convertible.

You're looking at $15,000 for a Crossfire Convertible.

So, for 7.5% of the price you'd pay for the SLS, you have a Mercedes-based convertible that has the following:

• Long hood
• Short boot
• Side strakes
• Staggered wheels
• Two-tone leather interior
• Comfy on the Autobahn
• Retractable Spoiler (same part number on the mechanism)
• Similar rake angle on windshield

All I said was that there was an alarming number of similarities, even down to the overall "profile". Will someone mistake an SLS for a Crossfire Roadster? Absolutley not, unless they're on serious drugs. Do laymen mistake the Crossfire for the "garden variety" Mercedes convertible? All the time.

Before your lofty AMG days, I recall you proudly owning a Miata.

Pray tell why you enjoyed it so much?

 

Meanwhile, back to the engine discussion:

The collaboration began with three project pillars:

• Joint smart/Twingo architecture: The project is on track for launch in the early first quarter of 2014. Two-seater smart vehicles will be produced at Daimler’s plant in Hambach, France, and four-seater smart and Renault production are slated for Renault’s plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
  
• All-new entry-level city van project for Mercedes-Benz: The project is on schedule with expected launch in late 2012.
  
• Powertrain cross-supply: The Alliance is supplying Daimler with compact three-cylinder gasoline engines to be used in smart and Twingo vehicles and four-cylinder diesel engines to be used in the jointly developed light commercial vehicle and in Mercedes-Benz’s next generation of premium compact cars. Daimler will supply Nissan and Infiniti with four- and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines from the current and future engine portfolio as well as with automatic transmissions.

Since its founding in April 2010, the collaboration has been gradually expanded. In addition to the announcement this week about North American engine production, the companies had also earlier decided to partner on:

• Platform sharing: Infiniti plans to base a premium compact vehicle on the Mercedes compact-car architecture, starting in 2014.
  
• Zero-emission vehicles: Daimler will provide batteries from its production facility in Kamenz, Germany, and Renault-Nissan will provide electric motors for the use in electric vehicles (smart and Twingo ZE). First releases will occur in 2014.

 

The SLS was inspired by the Mercedes 300SL, thus the reason it has Gullwing doors. It looks much more like this,


Than the Crossfire, and the new SLK is derived from the current SLS much the same with the R171 being similarly shaped as the SLR. My friend you may want to look at what is in those nice cigars you've been smokin.

Oh and there was nothing wrong with a miata. It was just way too slow for me, handled well though, and at times was a blast to drive.

 

Mercedes shouldn't be in collaborations with Nissan for it's 4 cylinder motors, instead they should dip their engineering brains into the Nissan electric motors.

 

Speaking of drug tests, go back and read my posts slower... you'll see that each time, I specified SLS Convertible... that bird has no "wings"... standard doors like the rest of the world. In fact, the only thing that swings up on that car is a funky little electric spoiler that deploys at a set mph... My gosh, I can't remember where I've seen that before.

SLS coupe is a whole 'nuther sexy topic, and is irrelevant to this discussion since I've specified ROADSTERS literally every chance I got. Puff-puff-pass, Nick... not puff-puff-puff