X

Your next Volvo might have a Mercedes engine

If Daimler buys up a small chunk of Volvo, it could become a new engine supplier to the Swedish automaker.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
2 min read
NurPhoto/Getty Images

engines are pretty darn good. new cars are pretty darn good. In the future, we might see the two mixed together. Something tells me that, too, will be pretty darn good.

Daimler, Mercedes-Benz's parent company, might have an interest in sidling up to Volvo, Reuters reports, citing Germany's Manager Magazin. The partnership could range from Daimler buying a small part of Volvo to supplying the Swedish automaker with engines for its cars.

SWEDEN-VOLVO-CARS
Enlarge Image
SWEDEN-VOLVO-CARS

Even if all Mercedes lends Volvo is a new exhaust system, it'd be an improvement.

Jonas Ekstromer/AFP/Getty Images

Daimler declined to comment on what it called "speculation."

Earlier this year, reports circulated that Geely, Volvo's Chinese parent company, might want to purchase a stake in Daimler. As it turned out, Geely's chairman had sneakily built up a $9 billion stake in the company in an attempt to bring the two closer together. It was done in part to offset the threat of new competition, especially in the autonomous space.

If Daimler pulls from Mercedes-Benz's engine lineup, there's plenty of interesting stuff from which to choose. It could rely on something simple like a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4, or it could get interesting and lean on the new 3.0-liter I6 and its 48-volt mild hybrid system. Hell, it could even sneak a 4.0-liter twin-turbo AMG V8 out of Germany, although that would be a stretch, given Volvo's push for electrification and not outright speed.

That's not to say Volvo isn't building some impressive engines of its own. Both the T6 and T8 powertrains take advantage of a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter I4. The latter incorporates it into a plug-in hybrid powertrain that makes a net 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. That's nothing to sneeze at.

2019 Mercedes-AMG CLS53 packs beauty, brains and brawn

See all photos