The engine partnership between Renault-Nissan and Daimler commenced today in Decherd, TN as Infiniti started production of the all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine. This engine was developed by Mercedes-Benz, and it will be used in the European versions of the Infiniti Q50 as well as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
As the automaker’s first powertrain plant outside of Japan, the Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant is located less than two hours from Nissan’s North American headquarters in Franklin, TN. Conveniently, this also happens to be just 200 miles northeast of Vance, AL where the 2015 C-Class will be built. Currently, Infiniti has not announced any plans to offer the four-cylinder turbo engine in U.S.-spec Q50 sedans.
About half of the engine’s assembly (44 percent) will be from manual labor in a detail-oriented process Infiniti call Takumi, which means craftsmanship. The rest of the engine’s assembly will be 46 percent automatic and 10 percent semi-automatic. This advanced plant was also designed to reduce as much energy consumption as possible utilizing a reflective roof to keep the inside temperature down and skylights so the plant uses fewer lights during the day.
Construction of the Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant started exactly two years ago at a cost of $319 million, and initially, it will employ 200 workers. As production ramps up to its max capacity of 250,000 engines annually, the plant will eventually 400 workers.
Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen was on hand for the engine production to begin, and he said that the opening of the Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant will be followed by future such plants around the world. These include a plant that will open later this year in China to build the extended-wheelbase Q50 sedan and the QX50 luxury crossover for the Chinese market and a new plant in the U.K. next year that will build the all-new Q30 compact.
Google News