OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2012. Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are collaborating on two new projects to accelerate development of fuel-efficient powertrains.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed the new projects Friday in an annual media update about the Franco-Japanese-German partnership.

The new engine project is a jointly developed 4-cylinder gasoline engine family co-led by Renault and Daimler. The direct-injection turbocharged engine will feature state-of-the-art technology in a compact package. It targets a significant improvement in fuel economy as well as low emissions.

The companies expect to jointly manufacture the new engines. They will debut in Daimler and Renault and Nissan vehicles in 2016.

In the new transmission project Daimler grants Nissan a license to manufacture automatic transmissions using Daimlerґs latest transmission technology for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles starting in 2016.

Nissan subsidiary Jatco is planning to manufacture these newly licensed gearboxes in Mexico. The new transmission will feature "start and stop" and "park and shift by wire” technologies.

“These new components demonstrate how broadly and rapidly our collaboration is proliferating – while all the time remaining rooted in specific projects that give tangible benefits to our customers,” Ghosn said. “The relationship is expanding organically and logically.”

“The collaboration achieved a milestone this year, with the first vehicles and engines from the partnership now on the roads,” Zetsche said. “Furthermore, all our engineers are keeping an open mind, looking with fresh eyes at all potential new areas of collaboration.”

Ghosn and Zetsche confirmed that all of the original “pillar projects” announced in 2010 have been accomplished or are on track. The companies are also moving forward with discussions on fuel-cell vehicle powertrains, and they are working on a cross-supply program for battery and powertrain components of zero-emission versions of their small cars.