PSA Looking to Strengthen Ties with BMW/MINI

Sections: 3rd Gen MINI Oct 27th, 2009 10 Comments

Automotive News is reporting that PSA is looking at deepening it’s ties with the German company. As it stands now PSA produces engines blocks for the BMW design 1.6L engines found in the current MINI range. However the idea is that this new round of cooperation could return the favor so to speak with PSA offering BMW it’s upcoming 3 cylinder engines. However we’re not entirely sure this makes sense with BMW set to produce it’s own range of highly efficient 3 cylinders destined for both BMW and MINI products. Here’s an excerpt:

CEO Phillipe Varin said he is talking with BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer about cooperation in areas such as purchasing and components including transmissions and climate control systems. “We have set up groups of experts to work on deepening our cooperation on gasoline engines,” the German business daily Handelsblatt quoted Varin as saying.

+ PSA Plans Deeper Ties with BMW / Autonews

Written By: Gabe

10 Comments

that.guy Oct 27th, 2009 Link

More French goodness! Does PSA produce the block casting only, or an assembled bottom end (crank, rods, pistons, etc.)?

Dr Obnxs Oct 27th, 2009 Link

More French goodness? France was the source of our Statue of Liberty, pre-stressed concrete and tons of other stuff that makes our life better. just dissing the French because they’re French is lazy.

And the wonderfull cold start clatter is of German origin, as Gabe keeps (indirectly) pointing out.

Matt

lavardera Oct 27th, 2009 Link

cold start clatter is history for me. Dealer performed the service bulletin in August, and two months in its not returned. Still have to get through the winter, but I think they nailed this one much to my satisfaction.

that.guy Oct 27th, 2009 Link

Sorry, I meant more French automotive goodness! But I kid. I love crepes!

But how about le block français? Casting only or assembled bottom end?

torobud Oct 27th, 2009 Link

Don’t hold your breath on that one Lavardera… I had the same service bulletin performed and mine is BACK!

lavardera Oct 27th, 2009 Link

torobud – did the return correspond with any weather or driving sequence that triggered it before? Or did not have a predictable situation in which you heard the noise? How long was it before the sound returned? Just curious if you have any pattern.

I’m asking because mine was more frequent with cooler weather, and only occurred when idle for a number of hours following a very short trip. The weather I’m in now along with that driving pattern would have created it before – but its not happening now. Dealer claimed timing chain was stretched but more than that was replaced so I’m not sure if that was the cause. A chain could obviously stretch again, but that should not happen so fast unless something else is causing it.

KipperFillets Oct 28th, 2009 Link

My only convern is that if these engines are used across a wide range of manufacturers, MINI’s advantage of fuel economy with performance will go. I’ve looked at small cars from MINI, Peugeot, Renault, VW, Ford and Vauxhall, and MINI are by far the best engines. The cars which are quicker are usually far less fuel-efficient or produce a lot of CO2. Once you remove the engine from the equation, cost will be a big minus for MINI compared to the other players.

Goat Oct 28th, 2009 Link

The knee-jerk scoffing comments many Americans make at the mention of France has always perplexed me. Putting that aside, the design flaws in the Prince inclusive of the throttle body design (icing) and camshaft lubrication (cold start clatter) are the legacy of BMW’s R56 German engineering team, as doc states above. Taking nearly 3 production years to sort the problem, with many dealers denying the problem outright, and with dubious results as indicated by owners chiming in as above, is almost as bad as the poor engineering that led to the faulty design. (I am no fan of the Prince primarily for its powerband characteristics and sonic dullness, but that’s another matter entirely.)

that.guy Oct 28th, 2009 Link

Why don’t they just go back to the Tritec. An awesome, bombproof mill, imo.

C4 Nov 4th, 2009 Link

That’s what happens when you try to re-invent the wheel and add more complexity than needs to be. The Tritec, as unrefined and low-tech as maybe to some, is a bulletproof engine that features simple engineering, materials and design/construction. I absolutely love the supercharger noise and power delivery of my force induced TRITEC. The new turbo is not the same, period. Nice smooth engine, nice fuel economy, but devoid of “engine music” and the stock powerband is a little lacking in the upper ranges of the tach. The TRITEC still pulls away like a freight train at the same spot where the Turbo Prince starts to lose steam (Around 5,500 or so RPM).

The design defects of the Prince were never present in the Tritec. What an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Not bad for an engine that was designed in the Detroit of the mid-1990s.

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