Recent spy photos of the Aston Martin Rapide have stirred back up the attention on the newly-independent automaker, proving that its current owner is indeed trying to rebuild the British marque with plenty of good models to come. Nevertheless, such a small company cannot do much alone. For this reason Aston is said to be eyeing to collaborate with Mercedes.

Autocar reports that Aston and Mercedes could collaborate on various technologies, from sharing engines to producing all new models. Manufacturing parts such engines, climate control units, and electrical architectures individually would be costly, which is why a deal with Mercedes for this purpose would be just right.

We know that Aston engines at this time still comes from its former parent Ford, and borrowing engines from Mercedes in the near future doesn’t sound so bad after all. It is hence quite interesting to see this legendary brand evolving independently through various ventures like this.