Groundbreaking for Mercedes-Benz/Infiniti Tennessee Plant

Ryan Joseph Ramos May 9, 2012

We’ve known about the partnership between Daimler and Renault – Nissan for some time now, but it is only today that we get very concrete reminders of the cooperation that involves engine- and technology-sharing between the automakers—the two have just concluded the groundbreaking for a new engine-manufacturing plant in Decherd, Tennessee.

While there have been no details as to exactly which engines will be produced in the Tennessee plant, it has been disclosed that these would likely be four-cylinder engines that would be accessible to both automakers, perhaps something similar to the 1.8-liter turbo used in the current C250. Of course, three-cylinders for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and 6-cylinders for use in Infiniti vehicles aren’t out of the question. According to Nissan, the plant’s capacity is around 250,000 engines annually.

It should take around two years for the automakers to finish building this engine plant in Tennessee and get it to full operational status. There is tremendous potential in this partnership, and many—including us—are expecting that we have yet to see the biggest thing to come out of the Nissan/Daimler deal. Stick around and we’ll surely bring you more news on this when it happens.