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Mercedes-Benz May Use BMW Engines From 2027 & No Hell Hasn’t Frozen Over
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz could soon partner up with rival and fellow German marque BMW. According to a new report from Germany's Manager Magazin, Mercedes is in talks with BMW to use the latter's petrol engines in its future cars.
Manager Magazin states that talks are underway for Mercedes to use BMW's B48 four-cylinder petrol engine from 2027 with a source from Mercedes telling Autocar UK that negotiations are currently in high gear and that an announcement could be made by the end of 2025.
Should a deal be finalised between Mercedes and BMW, cars such as the CLA, GLA, and GLC could switch to BMW engine power from 2027. Larger cars like the E-Class and the upcoming "Little G" SUV are also understood to be under review for the switch to the BMW B48 four-pot engine.
Mercedes currently relies on the M264 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which has been in service since 2017. It remains unclear if this engine can be developed further to meet Euro 7 without major investment.
The Stuttgart marque also recently introduced M252 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine. Designed in-house, the engine is built in China by Horse, a joint venture of Chinese automotive giant Geely and French carmaker Renault.
The M252 powers entry-level Mercedes cars like the CLA, where it works with a mild-hybrid system. However, it hasn't been engineered to work either as a range-extender or for use in plug-in hybrid vehicles, which is where BMW's B48 four-cylinder will be used, provided the deal goes through.
The B48 engine isn't new to BMW. It first entered production in 2014 and is part of the Bavarian firm's modular engine family, sitting alongside three- and six-cylinder petrol powerplants. BMW is expected to update the B48 engine in 2026, which is expected to bring it into compliance with the incoming Euro 7 emission norms.
BMW's B48 offers a wider range of outputs. In its more powerful states of tune, such as the B48A20T2 and B48A20T1, it delivers upwards of 300hp. Torque figures make it suitable for both compact models and heavier SUVs.
DriveSpark Thinks
Mercedes is teaming up with BMW to use the latter's engines. A few years back, making this statement or even thinking like that would have had you shipped to an insane asylum or left facing the wrath of fanatics from either side of the aisle.
However, with Merc's EV push not meeting its expectations and the costs of updating engines to Euro 7 as well as the effect of one angry orange man in a white house (Autocar UK states that the firms could share an engine plant in the US to keep Trump tariffs at bay), these two old German rivals may just be the team up the automotive world needs as it inches towards full electrification.
And yes, we did check, Hell hasn't frozen over.
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