Fast Jaguars and Land Rovers to reportedly use BMW V8s

Reports are circulating through Europe that JLR and BMW are working on a deal that would see fast versions of Jaguar and Land Rover models powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8.

The move, reported by Automobile magazine, would follow Aston Martin’s decision to adopt turbocharged V8s from Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division. It would likely spell the end for JLR’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which is employed in the likes of the Jaguar F-Type R and SVR, and the Range Rover Sport SVR.

BMW’s 4.0-litre V8 is said to be a development of its current 4.4-litre version, improving both efficiency and torque.

With the V8 becoming an increasingly niche powerplant in an era of downsized engines brought about by ever-stricter emissions regulations, manufacturers are being forced to consider sharing engines as well as platforms.

It’s not clear whether BMW would be willing to share a V8 used in a number of its flagship M cars, such as the BMW M6 and X5 M, though the current 4.4-litre twin-turbo version is the only one that can match the 400kW-plus outputs JLR is already offering with its supercharged 5.0-litre.

BMW’s lesser-powered twin-turbo V8 in 50i-badged models produces 330kW.