[Diesel Washington]

Chrysler has upped the production of it's light-duty diesel engine mainly because of the popularity of the diesel option in Ram 1500 pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs. Dealers say that diesel trucks normally sit on dealer lots for just 13 days before being sold. For comparison, other Ram 1500s stay on the lot for an average of 94 days.

Ram chief Reid Bigland says, "We've sent word over to VM Motori and they're in the process of ramping up, but realistically, nobody can turn a switch to do the things that it takes to get ramped up, but they're in the process of doing it."

Do you think that the success of these diesel vehicles for Chrysler could signal diesel popularity for other vehicles in Fiat-Chrysler's lineup?

Strong demand prompts Chrysler to crank up diesel output | New and Used Car Reviews, Research & Automotive-Industry News & LeftLaneNews

 

[Accused]

Probably not. The mention the GC out of token respect but in reality they move very FEW of Eco equipped GC's. The 1500 is a different case as people have been asking for a half ton diesel for YEARS. The demand is there and it was built up across the three major brands, evidenced by the fact that the Eco 1500 is achieving huge amounts of conquest sales, this forum is proof enough.

Ostensibly you would think so, but this is niche through and through.

 

[Accused]

8% of GC's are sold as Eco, not sure what the take rate has averaged for the RAM...

 

[10%More]

Appreciate it when you find things like this and share them as you did.

Wife wants a Grand Cherokee diesel. Actually, she would take a Cherokee diesel if it was available. The issue with the Jeep is pricing.

They are not really much more than a 1500 Ram diesel. Maybe a few thousand more but not a whole lot. Only the "top-of-the-line" models get the diesel. No rebates, no incentives and very little discount to invoice pricing.

We tried. MSRP of 43K still would cost over 40K. My 1500 had an MSRP just over 40K but I paid 32K for a 4X4 crew cab with many options.

Not remotely possible on the Grand Cherokee and I think that's another reason they don't sell.

 

[Accused]

Appreciate it when you find things like this and share them as you did.

Wife wants a Grand Cherokee diesel. Actually, she would take a Cherokee diesel if it was available. The issue with the Jeep is pricing.

They are not really much more than a 1500 Ram diesel. Maybe a few thousand more but not a whole lot. Only the "top-of-the-line" models get the diesel. No rebates, no incentives and very little discount to invoice pricing.

We tried. MSRP of 43K still would cost over 40K. My 1500 had an MSRP just over 40K but I paid 32K for a 4X4 crew cab with many options.

Not remotely possible on the Grand Cherokee and I think that's another reason they don't sell.

Absolutely, the ECO is locked into the Overland trim, that plus the $5K premium and you're staring down a $65K truck. Just not going to make the nut for people, especially people who are relatively indifferent to diesel (majority).

Its a real shame because Jeep is using the GC as the bench mark for the KL Cherokee Diesel, and because the take rate is so low on GC the KL won't be getting one, same goes with the new baby one...

Ah well most of these jeeps don't even see the kind of miles that makes a diesel truely viable (for the premium of course)

 

[zoomie]

My neighbour just dumped $53K on a loaded GC with the EC. I thought he was nuts. I just ordered a Crew, 4x4, Outdoorsman with a few options for $37k. Better truck for less money in my opinion.

 

[Panther Dash]

So you think it is just price that makes the GC diesel not as popular. I have been trying to figure out why the Ram 1500 diesel has been so popular when most diesels don't sell that well in the states. If the Ram 1500 diesel can get popular in NA then there must be opportunity for some other vehicles to do the same.

 

[zoomie]

30 mpg in a truck, that's why. The cummins is designed for maximum power not fuel economy. The ED provides good power and awesome fuel economy. Obviously the demand has been building for a while.

 

[L.O.A.]

30 mpg in a truck, that's why. The cummins is designed for maximum power not fuel economy. The ED provides good power and awesome fuel economy. Obviously the demand has been building for a while.

that's what i love about this, one of the best things they did for the 1500

 

[Accused]

So you think it is just price that makes the GC diesel not as popular. I have been trying to figure out why the Ram 1500 diesel has been so popular when most diesels don't sell that well in the states. If the Ram 1500 diesel can get popular in NA then there must be opportunity for some other vehicles to do the same.

Forget about trying to port the Eco 1500 success into other segments of the NA car market. Its completey segregated. The pickup community and the diesel subset of that have been asking for a 1500 diesel for years. There was pent up demand. There are functional benefits to a diesel truck that just aren't there in a diesel family sedan.

For one the diesel 1500 does not see your typical mileage drop off under heavy load, weather towing or hauling, like your typical half ton. That alone makes the COST of WORK/PLAY far less than traditionally.

diesel in your family sedan needs to log a certain amount of miles before it becomes a viable option, between the premium for the engine and the on again/off again premium at the pump, for simple in town driving you're actually losing money.

The 1500 Eco is an anomaly in the NA market IMO..

 

[Diesel Washington]

Even if not for sedans and things, I still think that there could be opportunities in the commercial van segment, and there is also the question of why other truck manufacturers haven't also offered a similarly sized truck with a diesel engine. Now that they see the success of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, maybe they will all jump on board.

 

[L.O.A.]

Even if not for sedans and things, I still think that there could be opportunities in the commercial van segment, and there is also the question of why other truck manufacturers haven't also offered a similarly sized truck with a diesel engine. Now that they see the success of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, maybe they will all jump on board.

That's what I noticed.

Toyota did hint that they would make the tundra come with a diesel with their diesel tundra concept, which was also a dually, I think they're working on it too, apparently the engine will come from cummins.

 

[AnywhereInTX]

That diesel concept is really really old. More of a SEMA truck than anything else. The only other 1/2 ton serious is the Nissan Titan. They have confirmed the Cummins engine in there next generation truck and have stated that they will be showing the truck off to the public at an Auto show in January...I think in Detroit. Unsure is the the location, but this was on truck tends Facebook page this week. The article hinted at an 8 speed from ZF also by showing a shifter that looks awfully familiar to the one in the Pentastar/ZF combo in many MOPAR cars.

 

[Diesel Washington]

Here's some new information that I just found.

According to HybridCars.com sales of diesel cars and SUVs in the US are up 25 percent for the first half of the year in the US. That is compared to overall new-car growth of just 4.2 percent.

The most interesting thing about these numbers? They don't even include the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Even without the Ram 1500 included, diesel sales were shown to have increased year-over-year with double-digit gains from March through April.

There has been a 30 percent increase in diesel sales from 2010 to 2013. most of the diesel cars offered in the US are offered by German automakers. Excluding the 19 diesel trucks and vans on the market, there are currently diesel cars and SUVs on the market in the US right now.

Diesel Car Sales Up 25 Percent for 2014

 

[L.O.A.]

those are some great numbers, maybe now we should start seeing many more new diesels showing up, rather than car makers continuing to neglect the the US market.

 

[Accused]

Those are easy percentages to game however. Because diesel moves in such low volume even a marginal uptick produces large changes in percentage value.

As for commercial vans yea we'll be seeing those later this year. The Promaster is getting a deisel as is the big transit from ford.

 

[Diesel Washington]

Still, consistent growth is a good sign. If it keeps up, then diesel will be more common in future. And keep in mind that the numbers are less than they should be because it didn't include trucks. I wonder what they would be if those vehicles were included.

 

[Panther Dash]

I think its safe to say that diesel will never take off in North America like it has in Europe. Soon enough electric and hybrid engines will be everywhere and diesel won't really be considered anymore, at least not as this thing to promote to a new market.

 

[lcw]

The GC Diesel has a lot of competition like the X5, Tuareg, ML350 and Q5 while the 1500 is the only game in town.

 

[zoomie]

Now that the NA OEM's are making diesels that are smaller with great fuel economy they are going to continue to climb in popularity. We have enjoyed relatively cheap gas for decades and only now seeing the kinds of prices seen in Europe for years. Electric and hybrid popularity is still decades away. They are way to expensive to build and maintain for any real length of time. They only survive now because of massive government incentives.