bmw verso

The Toyota Verso compact MPV is set to be the first Toyota to be equipped with a BMW-sourced engine - the 1.6 D-4D variant that will be launched in Europe early next year will be powered by an oil burner from Munich.

This follows on the agreement between Toyota and the BMW Group that was inked two years ago, in which BMW would supply Toyota's European division with its 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre diesel powerplants beginning 2014.

The diesel engine supply venture is of course part of a larger collaboration between the two automakers - joint research on lithium-air batteries as well as the co-development of a sports car and a fuel cell system are also scoped within the partnership.

The arrival of the 1.6 litre diesel will bring the powertrain choices for the ZGR20 in Europe to four - the unit, which has 111 hp at 4,000 rpm and 270 Nm at 1,750 to 2,250 rpm on tap, joins an existing 2.0 litre unit, the 122 hp and 310 Nm Toyota 1AD-FTV, as oil burner choices.

Integration was handled by the R&D team at Toyota's European technical centre in Belgium, and involved the development of a number of new components, including engine mounts, a dual-mass flywheel, a new gearbox housing/gearing and a stop/start system to further improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Production of the Verso 1.6 D-4D kicks off in January 2014 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey's Adapazari plant.