Mercedes, Chrysler brands to share new V6 family

DaimlerChrysler is working on a new line of V6 engines for use in its Chrysler group and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Known internally as Phoenix, the project will see engines built at three U.S. plants and one Germany facility, according to Automotive News. The program will reduce DaimlerChrysler's V-6 engines "to one family instead of five," DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in a recent interview. A UAW source told the trade publication the first Phoenix engines will arrive on 2010 models. The engines will be used in everything from front-wheel drive Chrysler minivans, to the Dodge Magnum, to the Mercedes C-, E-, and S-Class.