I have to say, this is a great question coming at a rather interesting time: Does it matter if an automaker uses another company's motor?
In an age where there's a lot of part sharing, and tons of mergers and acquisitions, it's hard to find a sovereign auto manufacturer. This isn't necessarily a bad thing provided certain characteristics are not diluted.
Of course, in any automobile arguably the most important component is its engine. It provides the power, the sound and most of the time, the soul of an automobile. It's the beating heart.
Our friends across the pond at Autocar proposed the question and below you'll see a brief take from them. But we're a wee bit curious — Does it matter to YOU if a vehicle uses another manufacturer's powerplant?
What say you, Spies?
So, the new Aston Martin DB11 is now available with an engine not made by Aston Martin, but Mercedes-Benz.
Aston Martin may be able to tune it a little to produce a bespoke power output or sound, but these are relatively minor mods that affect in no way the truth that this is someone else’s engine. The question is: does it matter?
To me, the answer is emphatically that it does not. The truth is that engines are abominably difficult, expensive and time-consuming things to design, and most small sports car companies simply don’t have the resources to do it (and even if they did, they’d be much better off spending the money elsewhere)...
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