Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler has shared intelligence on its fuel-efficient petrol engines with Ford in exchange for intimate information on the blue oval’s highly awarded three-cylinder EcoBoost powerplant.
Automotive News reports Daimler has spent time dissecting the 1.0-litre direct-injection turbocharged unit with Ford’s engineers as it develops its own three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as part of its Renault-Nissan alliance partnership for use in the next-generation versions of the Smart ForTwo and Renault Twingo. Ford currently fits the 1.0-litre EcoBoost to its Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, EcoSport, B-Max and C-Max models.
Mercedes-Benz engine development director Roland Kemmler confirmed discussions between the two automotive powerhouses had taken place, and described the three-cylinder EcoBoost as “a very interesting and impressive engine”.
In return, Mercedes-Benz confided information on its latest clean-burning petrol engines, which already meet Euro 6 emissions regulations that are still 18 months away from introduction in Europe.
Kemmler said Daimler was targeting an emissions rating of 96g/km CO2 for the three-cylinder ForTwo, translating to combined cycle fuel consumption of roughly 4.0 litres per 100km.
He described the engine as a “conventional” turbocharged powerplant available with a number of power and torque outputs.
Both vehicles are scheduled to hit the market next year, with the Twingo recently previewed at the Monaco Grand Prix in the form of the Renault Twin’Fun concept (above).
The information sharing agreement is the duo’s latest interaction, and deepens the partnership announced earlier this year to collaborate with Renault on hydrogen fuel cell research, development and production.
