Daimler and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance co-developed a new 1.3-liter petrol engine that recently debuted on the Scenic and Grand Scenic.
However, the powertrain will eventually be expanded to various cars within the Alliance, and it will also be used on several front-wheel drive models coming from Mercedes-Benz, reports AutoNews.
A Daimler spokesperson confirmed that the next generation A-Class is among the vehicles that will put the 1.3-liter lump to use, and different variations of the unit will be offered in the B-Class, GLA, and GLC as well, but no details surrounding the outputs or where it will be put together have been released so far.
However, the small petrol unit is offered on the French minivans in a choice of three power levels, starting with the TCe 115PS (113hp) and TCe 140PS (138hp), and ending with the TCe 160PS (158hp). The first one comes exclusively with a manual gearbox, whereas the mid-range can be had with an EDC dual-clutch automatic as well, and the latter is offered solely with an automatic transmission, so we won’t be surprised if Merc’s models will follow a similar route.
Renault-Nissan and Daimler’s collaboration started 7 years ago, and so far it has seen the French brand’s 1.5-liter dCi diesel engines being used in the entry-level A-Class, B-Class, and GLA. Moreover, the 1.6-liter petrol unit developed by Renault is also used in the C-Class, and the Renault Kangoo has been rebadged by Mercedes and sold as the controversial Citan.
Note: Next-gen Mercedes-Benz A-Class test car pictured
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