JLR to Switch to Bimmer V-8s?

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. is talking with BMW AG about using the German carmaker’s V-8 engines in high-end Jaguar and Land Rover models, Automobile reports.

The U.K.-based enthusiast magazine, which doesn’t cite its sources, says JLR likely would use the new 4.0-liter V-8 BMW is developing rather than BMW's current 4.4-liter mill. The new twin-turbocharged V-8 is expected to be more efficient and more powerful than its predecessor, which generates between 440 hp and 600 hp.

JLR currently uses its own supercharged 5.0-liter V-8. A modified version of the engine, which dates back to the 1990s, also provided the basis for JLR’s V-6 engines, which are being replaced by a new line of internally developed inline-six and 4-cylinder engines.

Tapping BMW for V-8s would be much less expensive than developing them internally, analysts note. Land Rover previously used Bimmer engines when it was owned by BMW in the 1990s.