The new incoming third-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is right around the corner and new reports indicate that it will be powered by a new gas-electric hybrid powertrain with the gas four-cylinder portion being cooperatively engineered and manufactured by Chinese-based auto giant, Geely. Chinese-based publication, Fast Technology and CarNewsChina, reportedly learned of the development, specifically noting that the CLA’s new 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder will be made by Geely and Horse Powertrain.
Earlier this year, Geely joined forces with France’s Renault to form an equal-part joint venture called Horse Powertrain with contributions from Saudi Arabia-based petroleum and chemical energy development firm, Aramco. The conglomerate’s sole purpose and mission is to research, develop, and engineer future internal combustion engines and gas-electric hybrid powertrain technology. It’s based in London, United Kingdom, and is expected to start making engines for a wide variety of manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Dacia, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Proton, and even Nissan and Mitsubishi.
As a refresher, Geely Automobile Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding, is one of the most prominent auto groups in China, being the first and largest privately owned automotive group in the country. It produces automobiles under its own name and also owns a considerable stake in Lynk & Co, Proton Cars, Zeekr. Volvo is also in Geely’s portfolio, but under the specific ownership of the ZHG parent company. Geely also recently gained a spot on the list of top-ten largest automobile companies by worldwide car sales, earlier this year.
The New Geely Four-Cylinder Will Supposedly Replace The Current Mercedes-Benz M139
The current and soon-to-be outgoing CLA-Class sports Mercedes-Benz’s latest M260 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder, which arrived in 2019 as a successor to the previous generation M270/M274, and can be found all throughout Mercedes-Benz’s lineup, ranging from base turbocharged four-cylinder C-Class (C300) and E-Class (E350) models, to even certain versions of the S-Class.
Should this news be accurate, that M260 four-cylinder will be succeeded and replaced by this new four-cylinder from Geely and Horse Powertrain, which will also be manufactured in China. And because of the M260’s ubiquitous use throughout Mercedes-Benz’s portfolio, there’s a possibility that the new Geely/Horse four-cylinder destined to replace it could even end up in future gasoline turbo-four-powered models throughout Benz’s lineup in the near future. The CLA 35 and CLA 45 feature the significantly different M139 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder and this latest update does not apply to the future CLA AMG models at this time.
The news report did not specify if this new Geely/Horse engine will be specifically for the Chinese-market CLA-Class models or not, but even if it was, in today’s global financial climate, it would not make sense to produce two completely different turbo-four engines for different markets. Previous rumors suggested that Mercedes-Benz’s new four-cylinder would come from Mercedes-Benz collaborating with Geely. Geely currently owns a roughly 10% share of Mercedes-Benz and also has a stake in Benz’s subsidiary, Smart.
The new Geely/Horse turbocharged four will reportedly produce around 250 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque in its typical form, though there will likely different versions with different outputs and varying tunes of state.
The Third-Gen CLA Will Also Get Other Chinese Tech
A Chinese-developed and manufactured internal combustion engine isn’t the only new Chinese tech that will be found in the the new CLA as the same report also indicated the new model will feature “high-level intelligent” and autonomous driving assist tech, compliments of Chinese-based startup, Momenta. The systems are said to be geared towards providing drivers better safety gear, particularly in highly densely populated urban areas.
The new CLA is anticipated to be the first Mercedes-Benz model to incorporate Momenta’s city pilot-assisted driving tech, which is also expected to utilized Nvidia’s latest Orin X microprocessing chip to power the car’s advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS. Current systems that fall under that category include tech such as automatic emergency braking and collision mitigation assistance, pedestrian and traffic detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change monitoring and collision prevention assist, active radar-guided cruise control, semi-autonomous radar-guided cruise control, and so-on.
Momenta established its roots back in 2017 after going through several rounds of investment funding, with Mercedes-Benz stepping in with its own investment capital in 2021. Together, both Mercedes and Momenta are in the process of developing and engineering its own in-car software and operating systems, dubbed MB.OS.
Source: Fast Technology via CarNewsChina
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