Stellantis, JLR Plan U.S. CollaborationBEN STANSALL - Getty Images (BEN STANSALL - Getty Images)Automotive enthusiasts love performance, design, and anything that makes a car unique, but there is nothing the American car lover enjoys more than a non-binding memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration synergies for product development. In a moment that this should be great news for all of us, on Wednesday, Stellantis and Jaguar Land Rover announced just such a plan for collaboration.That mess of corporate buzzwords may not seem exciting, but the actual idea is certainly interesting. Under the terms of the agreement, the global behemoth made up of American, German, Italian, and French companies will work with JLR on potential shared development for products sold on the U.S. market. In other words, this opens the door for companies like Jeep and Land Rover to co-develop technology, a platform, or even whole cars shared across the two brands.Jeep (Jeep)The deal is not specific on what this could actually mean in practice, but existing platforms within the companies open up intriguing possibilities. Jeep and Ram could use Land Rover's new electric vehicle platforms to develop more competitive high-riding electric models after Ram dropped its own EV ambitions last September. Land Rover, in turn, could call on Ram's pick-up expertise to develop a model with a bed for the truck-loving American market, taking the fight to the likes of the Ineos Quartermaster. The announcement makes no mention of manufacturing plans, but if the deal were to expand further, some JLR models could potentially be built in existing American Stellantis factories in order to avoid tariffs on imported cars, SUVs, and trucks.AdvertisementAdvertisementBefore Stellantis, what was once the Chrysler group had a long history of alliances and deals with major existing manufacturers. One such agreement produced Diamond Star Motors, a series of shared cars between Mitsubishi and Chrysler in better days for both brands. Models like the K-car Chrysler TC by Maserati and Mercedes-Benz SLK-based Chrysler Crossfire were also the results of corporate tie-ups in different eras, although the shared work with Mercedes occurred during the ill-fated DaimlerChrysler "merger."Land Rover (Land Rover)As this is new agreement just a non-binding memorandum of understanding, it is entirely possible that this official partnership ends without the brands ever co-developing a product. If it succeeds, however, it could be as natural an alliance as the one that has led Subaru and Toyota to co-develop a dozen electric crossovers and entry-level sports cars across three brands.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State