2018 Range Rover Sport Coupe Spied at Mercedes' Sindelfingen: L6 Engine Sharing?

Last time we spoke about the 2018 Range Rover Sport Coupe, the machine was trying to prove the final part of its designation by lapping the Nurburgring in fully camouflaged trim.

While the camo is still there, the British raked roofline high-riding vehicle has now been spied testing in a location that raises important powertrain question. The vehicle, which wears the L560 internal code and has been referred to as the "Velar", was spotted testing at Mercedes-Benz's Sindelfingen plant in Germany.

Choosing such specific testing locations doesn't happen by accident, so the move has us wondering whether Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover have reached an engine sharing agreement - interestingly, the premises are there.

There's no doubt about the German automaker currently completing the development of the M256 unit that will see the facelifted S-Class mark the company's return to the straight-six configuration next year.

As for the Brits, the rumor mill talks about JLR preparing to introduce the first inline-six from their new Ingenium engine family in 2017, with the unit set to replace the 3.0-liter V6 that has been around since the Ford era - weld these two pieces of info together and we might have a partnership on our hands, not unlike the one involving Daimler (Mercedes-Benz's parent company) and Aston Martin.

Mercedes-Benz's L6 will also come with a standard mild hybrid, namely a starter-generator. This will offer up to 18 hp to assist the internal combustion part of the deal, while being able to work with 20 hp worth of regenerative braking.

The electric motor will only be able to assist the straight-six up to 2,000 rpm and won't offer an all-electric mode, because the system will lack a clutch and a properly-sized battery. After all, we are talking about a mild development, one that will involve a 0.9 kWh battery, but the carmaker promises efficiency improvement of between 10 and 15 percent, as well as improved low-end response.

The M256 will also lead the way in terms of gasoline engines being fitted with diesel unit-like particulate filters, thus offering extra assets that will allow it to meet future emission standards.

JLR has also prioritized hybrid and all-electric development over the last few years - while this might sound like a generalization, but when Jaguar canceled the C-X75 production hybrid halo car to focus on EVs, the title mentioned above no longer fits.

However, until we get more info on the matter, this story remains a bit of a far stretch.