MDC POWER GERMANY makes the mirage engine?

[db1980]

My thoughts on it, are that MDC probably was involved with the design. Mitsubishi builds it in Thailand I believe. The German relationship makes a little sense since the engine was used in the Smart fourfour - I am sure they had a small amount of input.

[satria_wr]

So we can use smart forfour performance parts,...

[Fummins]

Has this "Mirage engines are built in Germany" thing been debunked? I can't see a company building engines in Germany then shipping them over to Thailand to install into cheap cars. I saw a comment on the lubetubes mentioning this and my bs meter went to 90%.

[foama]

Has this "Mirage engines are built in Germany" thing been debunked? I can't see a company building engines in Germany then shipping them over to Thailand to install into cheap cars. I saw a comment on the lubetubes mentioning this and my bs meter went to 90%.

The MDC factory in Kölleda was built in 2002/2003 as a 50:50 joint venture between Mitsubishi Motors and DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler was the conglomerate joining Daimler (Mercedes-Benz / Daimler) and Chrysler. Some years on, the Chrysler and Daimler organization "divorced" and became the two well-known organizations again. in 2006 DaimlerChrysler took over the Mitsubishi share of this factory.

The SMART organization had long before been taken over by Daimler. In the Kölleda plant, Daimler together with Chrysler developed and constructed 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5L engines for SMART, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) and Mitsubishi. The 3A91 engine for example was developed for SMART, but their organization called it by a different name. I think something like M321 or so? Today's 3A90 and 3A92 engines are very similar to the 3A91 and they also look very much alike. A similar four cylinder engine was built into the European Mitsubishi Colt, but three cylinder versions also existed. Three and four cylinder versions were built in Kölleda for the European and Japanese versions of the Mitsubishi Colt, and various asian versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, and the Smart ForFour up to 2006.

Today Kölleda designs and produces Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) car and small truck engines. About one in two Mercedes engines it built there. After 2006 the 3A90 and 3A92 engines were made by Mitsubishi, albeit with numerous smaller modifications, mostly for better fuel economy.
For example, the SMART ForFour with the 3A91 engine uses much more fuel than the similar sized Mirage in all of its versions.

Since this engine series is comprised of very similar engines, they also share numerous parts, much more than just the water pump, head gasket, timing chain, etc.
Since Mitsubishi is one of the world's most inovative electronics and particularly car-electronics makers, they include unusually elaborate and advanced electronics in their own engine designs. This ensures good fuel economy.

[Eggman]

The MDC factory in Kölleda was built in 2002/2003 as a 50:50 joint venture between Mitsubishi Motors and DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler was the conglomerate joining Daimler (Mercedes-Benz / Daimler) and Chrysler. Some years on, the Chrysler and Daimler organization "divorced" and became the two well-known organizations again. in 2006 DaimlerChrysler took over the Mitsubishi share of this factory.

The SMART organization had long before been taken over by Daimler. In the Kölleda plant, Daimler together with Chrysler developed and constructed 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5L engines for SMART, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) and Mitsubishi. The 3A91 engine for example was developed for SMART, but their organization called it by a different name. I think something like M321 or so? Today's 3A90 and 3A92 engines are very similar to the 3A91 and they also look very much alike. A similar four cylinder engine was built into the European Mitsubishi Colt, but three cylinder versions also existed. Three and four cylinder versions were built in Kölleda for the European and Japanese versions of the Mitsubishi Colt, and various asian versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, and the Smart ForFour up to 2006.

Today Kölleda designs and produces Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) car and small truck engines. About one in two Mercedes engines it built there. After 2006 the 3A90 and 3A92 engines were made by Mitsubishi, albeit with numerous smaller modifications, mostly for better fuel economy.
For example, the SMART ForFour with the 3A91 engine uses much more fuel than the similar sized Mirage in all of its versions.

Since this engine series is comprised of very similar engines, they also share numerous parts, much more than just the water pump, head gasket, timing chain, etc.
Since Mitsubishi is one of the world's most inovative electronics and particularly car-electronics makers, they include unusually elaborate and advanced electronics in their own engine designs. This ensures good fuel economy.

Ok, but where is the 3A92 made? I thought it was made in Laem Chabang.

[foama]

Three and four cylinder versions were built in Kölleda for the European and Japanese versions of the Mitsubishi Colt, and various asian versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer, and the Smart ForFour up to 2006.

As it says, after 2006 they didn't make any more as Mitsubishi. Laem Chabang would be a probable source.

Btw, Kölleda pioneered something called High Pressure Die-Cast Technology, HPDCT.
This enabled enormous gains in intricacy and precision. Without, modern style engine blocks, cylinderheads, etc would not be possible. The 3Axx engines were amongst the very first made that way.

[Eggman]

As it says, after 2006 they didn't make any more as Mitsubishi. Laem Chabang would be a probable source.

Btw, Kölleda pioneered something called High Pressure Die-Cast Technology, HPDCT.
This enabled enormous gains in intricacy and precision. Without, modern style engine blocks, cylinderheads, etc would not be possible. The 3Axx engines were amongst the very first made that way.

I'd like to learn more about Daimler's developments with HPDCT but couldn't find anything referring to MDC and/or Kölleda regarding HPDCT.

Do you have any links for this?

[foama]

Sorry, don't have any links for that. Much is regarded as common knowledge if you talk to factory workers, and there are many around. HPDCT or HPDC was bleeding edge technology when Kölleda was being built in 2003. Today HDPC is common in many industries in all parts of the world, and very much so in China (Mindwell, etc).
Carl Benz built the first horseless carriage in his initial workshop in the old inner city of Mannheim, the first Benz factory was right by the bank of the Neckar river in the nearby old Roman town of Ladenburg. Stuttgart and Sindelfingen are also by the Neckar, just like Neckarsulm (NSU, Audi). There are plenty of Daimler factories in just about every direction from here, many of them within hiking distance. Kölleda is an exception, being founded in the formerly poverty-stricken eastern state of Thuringia. Meanwhile they added new factories in Arnstadt, not far from Kölleda, and make innovative 4 and 6 cylinder engines by the millions and millions. Automotive news spreads quickly by mouth in these parts...