Big Three Go After Diesel Market
 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

This may be the incorrect section for this, Open section, may be better, so please move it to right place, Thank you.

Reading the paper this morning, I see this article on Diesels and the big three's thinking of it. Thought it would be of interest, but it's not new, news.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/AUTO01/801010317/1148/

Just what we need, the big 2-1/2 messing up the U.S. diesel market (again).

a little slow to the game.. as usual

but..

I have managed to talk my mom into getting a diesel for her next car when the equinox is paid off.. which should be in about.. 2 years

D-cell Bunny
 

Especially if, as the article indicates, they are going after the smaller-vehicle market. It's not easy to build a small diesel for a small vehicle and not have the thing shake itself apart. VW has handled the challenge fairly well but "smooth and quiet" are not the words that come to mind when the interviewer says "VW diesel." The American makers will try to do the job quickly and on the cheap and will make a mess of it -- and the public is still leery after the schlock Caddy and Olds diesels of 20 years ago.

I think I read somewhere a year ago that the Grand Cherokee has a 6Zyl MB engine in it? Could be wrong but I'm pretty darn sure that's what I read on the ad for that vehicle.

they already sell diesels over seas(big 2.5) ... it should not be that hard for them to make those engines conform to...CARB(idiots) standards

Actually this is about the only thing that could save Detroit...

I they would only put a nice 5 or 6 pots diesel in a small pickup/CUV. They would have an instant winner for the USA market. Utility and Mileage together. America, have your cake and eat it too!!!!

Update the Ranger, Dakota and its GM equivalent as well as a nice Escape, Jeeps and whatever GM has and stop the import onslaught!

If
 

If they manage to do it the demand for diesel fuel will go up and also the price of diesel fuel.
It will also mean (smog) emission testing on diesel vehicles will be required in the future.
Hopefully older vehicles will not be included.

JEEP Grand Cherokee Diesel 3.0 MB engine
 

Ok... just to confirm with more than just an 'I think' in my previous post, here's a link:D:
http://www.trailerboats.com/output.cfm?id=1293787

I'd buy one if I could pay cash for it and didn't have such a nice stack of college debt to knock down. I'll wait a few years and get one after they've proven themselves.

MB designed the engine. Here's another good link:
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2006/06/first_drive_in_.html

the only thing I don't like about it is that they said it's hard to tell it's a diesel by the way it sounds... what's wrong with these people??? Is that a good thing? ;)

I'm not sure anything can save detroit, and I suspect that the cost of installing a diesel engine in low end trucks (i.e., ranger) would be too high for that market. I suspect that very few people would pay a $5000 premium for a diesel ranger. Unlike benz, these vehicles do not have enough built in profit margin to "absorb" some of that cost, they are practically selling them at cost now.

Diesels are a waste of money in trucks unless you need to tow. I looked at a Dodge 2500 with my friend and the Cummins was like an $8k option! Most contractors seem to only keep there work trucks a short time, so diesel is pretty pointless.

Mercedes should have a diesel option in just about every class come 2009, BMW will probably start impoting some, and Honda is coming out with a diesel Accord in 2009.

Now, can they do it?
 

Interesting article. But, what I'm afraid will happen is the same thing that did in the eighties when General Motors cobbled together diesel engines from existing gas V8 blocks to produce unreliable vehicles. That reputation lasts to this day. If they try to slap something together without proper engineering and development to get in on the market there is a chance of failure again.

Diesels in Europe are big business. BMW offers diesel power in most of their models and will bring 2 or 3 to the US this year. They build a One Series coupe that can be had with a 2 liter diesel that will do 140mph and get over 40mpg at reasonable (legal) speeds but don't plan to send it to the US. I'd buy one of those in a heart beat.

Ford powerstroke, Chevy Duramax and Dodge Cummins diesel engines seem to have fairly wide acceptance in the pickup truck market out here from what I have casually observed.

They are torque monsters and I would imagine they consume fuel as if it was free.

Cars are another story though.

True, but those are not cheap vehicles and they are being sold to folks who actually need lots of torque for towing (and to the viagra crowd who want to be truck drivers when they grow up). I'm not convinced detroit can come up with a TDI type car (cheap/efficient), but I do think the ricers probably will give VW a run for their money.

A major benefit comes at resale time. Would you rather be able to sell a 2005 Liberty V6 for $12,000 or a 2005 Liberty CRD for $17,000? Or a 2005 E320 for $23,000 or a 2005 E320 CDI for $30,000?

Diesel is a smart option. When you combine the fuel savings with the resale value it makes great sense.

That is NOT what happened! The diesels were unique engines, only cosmetic items like the valve covers were shared. They failed because they designed cr@p engines and their mechanics were incompetent.