Diesel Future at Chrysler

vtdog · **Joined:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:27 am **Posts:** 640

FYI (still no mention of a diesel in any future liberty, plus the bell has not rung about the ridiculous extra cost for their crds-maybe its just me, but if your customers tell you something is too expensive, etc)

Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President of Product Development at Chrysler LLC, recently posted a blog entry where he discusses the future of diesel engines at Chrysler.

While indicating that adding a diesel option to a vehicle can add $5,000 to the sticker price, he notes that almost a quarter of all American said they'd be interested in one. He also mentions that the average consumer would pay up to $1,500 to get one, so there's quite a gap there.

About the Grand Cherokee CRD (Common Rail Diesel), he notes:

Our current U.S. diesel lineup includes Dodge Sprinter, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty. Our BLUETEC Ram Heavy Duty, with a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine, meets 2010 emissions standards for heavy-duty pickups for all 50 states – three years early!

In addition to the Ram Heavy Duty, Dodge will introduce an all-new Cummins turbodiesel engine in the Ram 1500 after 2009. This new engine will also meet emissions standards in all 50 states. Along with great power and low-end torque, this new engine will provide up to 30 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and up to a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to an equivalent gasoline engine.

Here’s another preview of things to come: Starting in model year 2009, the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel will meet emissions standards in all 50 states, making it another clean-diesel BLUETEC vehicle from Chrysler.

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

It will be interesting to see the MPG produced by the new V6 Cummins in the 1/2 ton Ram.

The US automakers still don't get it that MPG is the largest selling point of diesels in lighter-duty vehicles. The guys who want/need a diesel for towing would have bought a 3/4 or 1 ton anyway.

alljeep · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:58 am

What surprises me is the indication that the Grand Cherokee CRD will still be made into the 2009 year for the U.S. I just figured it would have been dead with the corporate ownership transfer issues. So our KJ CRD gets only 1.5 years of production but the low volume Grand CRD will get at least 3 (if not more)? :roll:

retmil46 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:25 am

alljeep wrote:

What surprises me is the indication that the Grand Cherokee CRD will still be made into the 2009 year for the U.S. I just figured it would have been dead with the corporate ownership transfer issues. So our KJ CRD gets only 1.5 years of production but the low volume Grand CRD will get at least 3 (if not more)? :roll:

It all boils down to politics (corporate and otherwise), money, and sheer stupidity.

bhysjulien · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:07 pm

Mostly stupidity...mostly.

KJbob · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:02 pm

For what it's worth I read the Grand Cherokee is getting a Cummins V6 for a diesel power plant in 2009/2010 timeframe.

It may not come to pass however, if Chrysler insists on putting diesel in only their high end GC's. :roll:

I'm not spending $42k on a GC CRD.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:16 pm

KJbob wrote:

For what it's worth I read the Grand Cherokee is getting a Cummins V6 for a diesel power plant in 2009/2010 timeframe.

It may not come to pass however, if Chrysler insists on putting diesel in only their high end GC's. :roll:

I'm not spending $42k on a GC CRD.

If the V6 is of the same quality as their legendary I6, and Cummins can hold their feet to the fire and make sure all the support systems, fuel, lift pump, etc, are up to snuff (as they did with the Ram trucks) and keep the bean counters at bay, then that might be a diesel worth owning.

But I'd also agree about the $42K price tag - they'd better improve the quality of the rest of the vehicle to a level comparable with that Cummins powerplant and price before I'd even consider one.

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

alljeep wrote:

What surprises me is the indication that the Grand Cherokee CRD will still be made into the 2009 year for the U.S. I just figured it would have been dead with the corporate ownership transfer issues. So our KJ CRD gets only 1.5 years of production but the low volume Grand CRD will get at least 3 (if not more)? :roll:

Maybe they had a contract to buy X number of MB engines and at the current sales rate, they figure they are going to have make em till 2009. I don't know. What I do know is you can get a MB SUV with the same engine for a grand or two more. If I were in the market for a $40,000+ luxo diesel SUV I know which I would buy.

pierce1979 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:28 am

I live in the detroit area and I get to see all prototypes on the road, and so far I have seen CRD versions of the, Grand Cherokee Laredo, Patriot and the redesigned Liberty! And the drivers seat was on the left the side, so I don't think these were for Europe, because I have seen other jeeps that were diesel that had the drivers seat on the right side. I believe they are coming round 2009/10, though I was told the CRD would finally be offered in a minimal config on the laredo for 08' to push more diesel sales.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:58 am

Drivers seat is on the left in Europe - right in England and Australia

danoid · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:44 am

pierce1979 wrote:

I live in the detroit area and I get to see all prototypes on the road, and so far I have seen CRD versions of the, Grand Cherokee Laredo, Patriot and the redesigned Liberty! And the drivers seat was on the left the side, so I don't think these were for Europe, because I have seen other jeeps that were diesel that had the drivers seat on the right side. I believe they are coming round 2009/10, though I was told the CRD would finally be offered in a minimal config on the laredo for 08' to push more diesel sales.

I stopped at a light next to a funny sounding Wrangler Rubicon (JK) a few months ago. I let him drive away first and yup - CRD with a manufacturer plate. Same badge as on the KJ. Same engine too I think.

pierce1979 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:09 pm

hmm i thought were all on the right side.... anyway the CRD 08' Liberty was an automatic for sure, because i walked up to in a parking lot here in ferndale, and there was no stick, had the new "open roof"...so yeah i stared and drooled a lot

jinstall · **Posted:** Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:21 am

I was at the IAA in Frankfurt last week and saw the new KK CRD. As a matter of fact i saw all of their CRD models there. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler. Caliber up to the GC with CRD.

Diesel Future at Chrysler

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