Daimler, Renault-Nissan Widen Powertrain Tie-up

The Renault-Nissan alliance and Daimler AG have added new engine and transmission projects to their partnership.

The companies say the new projects are intended to bring next-generation technology to market more quickly.

The partners will jointly develop a new family of four-cylinder, direct-injection, turbocharged gasoline engines that promise "significant" improvements in fuel economy and emissions. The companies will jointly produce the engines and begin using them in vehicles under their own brands in 2016.

Renault-Nissan and Daimler also are launching a new transmission project. Daimler, which will lead the project, will license the resulting technology to Nissan for use in Nissan and Infiniti brand vehicles beginning in 2016.

The new Nissan gearboxes will incorporate start-stop, park and shift-by-wire technologies and be produced by Nissan's Jatco Ltd. subsidiary in Mexico, according to the partners.