Next Mercedes Vaneo Could Be Based on Renault Kangoo

The fruits of the Daimler - Renault - Nissan tie-up could be seen as soon as next year, as the Germans are looking into ways to introduce the new Vaneo using some technology provided by its partners. A report by Autobild suggests that the Vaneo, which has never been too successful, could be be based on the Renault Kangoo platform and could be powered by a 2.0-liter diesel engine, also coming from the French carmaker.

The fact that Mercedes intends to use technologies developed by Renault or Nissan isn't a new thing, as voices familiar with the matter have talked about such a project ever since mid-2010. Furthermore, it is believed that Nissan could also borrow some Mercedes engines for its future Infiniti lineup but, once again, only a few things are known.

The deal between Daimler, Renault and Nissan was signed in April 2010 and, according to the official terms, Renault agreed to supply Daimler with 3 and 4-cylinder engines. Furthermore, a 4-seater smart plus the new Twingo were believed to use the same platform, while other projects prepared for the future were also expected to share technical parts.

“Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are combining common interests to form a promising foundation for a successful, strategically sound cooperation that is based on a number of very concrete and attractive project cooperations. Our skills complement each other very well," Dieter Zetsche, Daimler chairman of the board said when announcing the alliance back in 2010.