Mercedes-Benz has been cozying up to Geely in recent years. The two carmakers co-own the Smart brand, which builds EVs on Geely’s SEA architecture, and the Chinese automotive giant – through its CEO Li Shufu – is also one of Mercedes-Benz’s largest shareholder. Now, a new report has suggested that even the Mercedes-Benz brand could also be incorporating Geely’s powertrain technology into the upcoming next-generation CLA.
As reported by Car News China, the next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA, due to make its official debut sometime next year, is rumoured to be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, manufactured by Geely’s joint venture with Renault.
The joint venture – dubbed Horse Powertrain – was officially formed earlier this year, following the formal agreement between the two companies back in July 2023. The joint venture company also owns Aurobay, which was previously formed through a merger between Volvo and Geely’s powertrain divisions.
According to the joint venture agreement, the new Horse Powertrain company will supply its internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid, and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains to Renault, Geely, Volvo, Nissan and Mitsubishi through the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, as well as other third parties as part of its plans. Based on the latest rumour, Mercedes-Benz will be the first “third party” marque to utilise its powertrain technology.
Mercedes-Benz has a long history of utilising Renault-sourced engines in its models, notably with the M282 1.3-litre inline-four mill, as a result of the German carmaker’s strategic cooperation deal with the aforementioned alliance.
On the next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA, the Geely-Renault-sourced engine is rumoured to boast an output of around 250 hp and 360 Nm, and will feature mild hybrid technology using a gearbox-mounted integrated starter generator (ISG) motor. Previous reports have indicated that the engine will be co-developed between Mercedes-Benz and Geely.
Unlike Smart, though, the next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA will be built on the German marque’s own Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform instead. The MMA platform will open the doors to both fully electric and hybrid/ICE powertrains – both of which have essentially already been confirmed by Mercedes-Benz.
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