Well, that's number two.

First Ford announced that they were not going to continue with their plans to put that upcoming 4.x liter diesel in their F-150 p.u.'s and now on Autoblog.com, it was announced that G.M. is not going to go ahead with their 4.5 liter Duramax for their 1/2 ton p.u.'s.

This only leaves Dodge with the upcoming 5.0 liter Cummins V8 destined for the 1500 Ram, and possibly as an option for the 2500-3500 Rams too.

If I was Chrysler, I'd be rejoicing. This leaves a special market niche just for Dodge!

I sure hope that smaller displacement V8 Cummins sees the light of day.

 

Interesting.

I wonder if it's because of the financial troubles the companies ae having or if the car buying public is losing interest in diesels (what little they had) because of low oil prices.

Come on Dodge!!! Get that new diesel out there!

Too bad it's not a 5 cylinder inline though.

 

Raspy: Actually, here in California in the S.F. bay area, our diesel prices are about the same as unleaded regular gasoline, so I don't think oil prices would be that much of a factor.

I've received information from other diesel P.U. owners in other parts of the country where diesel is selling for a lower price than unleaded regular.

I heard that the premium to buy a 1/2 ton with the smaller diesels wouldn't be near as much as the cost/premium on the larger diesels that are currently offered by all three companies.

 

Yeah, but the OVERALL price is way down. Not comparing it to regular.

Redwood City is averaging about 2.15 or so and out on 5 I see it for 1.91. Good compared to a few months ago at 5.00 +.

It just seems like fuel costs are not the headlines these days. Plus few are buying vehicles with all the economic concerns.

Diesel still has an uphill battle to gain mainstream acceptance.

 

I guess when sales are low and the financial future is bleak, development costs for updated or new models is one of the first things that gets chopped from the budget...

Dodge I guess was looking at a double clutch type transmission, and apparently that plan was also dropped. (too bad)

 

I think there's a huge market for a smaller diesel. I tow a trailer a fair amount, but it's not heavy. I never weighed it but I'd bet it's less than 4,500# or so. Do I really need a giant truck with 600ft/lbs? No, I really don't. If I could get a 1500 truck with a smaller diesel that gets 20+mpg, I'd be all over that. IMO, it's not a niche market, it's a main market. Most truck buyers don't need a monster diesel. I don't think dodge would be able to make enough to meet the demand.

However, my guess is that they're having trouble meeting future emissions requirements. The Green Peace crowd are contiuing to prevent efficient vehicles from reaching the market.

 

i bet Dodge will drop it as well since there in the same $$$ boat as the others ...

 

I'm not so sure, they started this whole 1/2 ton diesel thing when they got Cummins to develop the 5.6L V8 diesel as a design study. That thing went through years and years of testing to get where they are today, with this smaller 5.0L version. I'd bet they've sunk way more money into this project then the other two. GM and Ford jumped on much more recently, like within the last 2 years.

I think the Dodge could be first to market, they were stating that 2011 would be the year now. A 1/2 ton with the new 5-link rear and diesel power would be a game changer.

 

They already pretty much dropped it. It didn't meet 2010 emissions.

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php...iesel-delayed/

I'm afraid "delayed" = "canceled" in this case.

Oh well, if you really want a light duty diesel you can always still by a chevy with a duramax.

 

Geez, just how tight are these emissions specs? Tight enough that it will be prohibitively expensive to own a car?
This is all leading us down a road where no one has a personal vehicle because of the cost and regulations on it.
I was looking for a mid-size diesel when I got my ram, but none were offered so I got the 3/4 ton. I think its a niche that needs to be filled.

 

What I heard is that Chrysler/Dodge has pushed out the 5.0 liter V8 Cummins Diesel offering to 2011, and not killed the engine offering.

Also, if Dodge was able to meet the 2010 CAFE standards with their 6.7 Cummins, while GM and Ford couldn't with their latest big diesels, why wouldn't Cummins/Chrysler have the smarts that passed the 6.7 to get their upcoming smaller 5.0 diesel passed?

 

iowa is going to cal, emisson standers in the near future,small trucks with diesels are the norm overseas,attached garages in n/am.is the biggist deterant to sale of small diesels

 

Personally I kinda hope they do scrap it. Call me selfish but I've seen diesel gain popularity before. Prices rise with it. The less diesels on the road, the less time I have to wait at one of the few pumps, and the less I pay at that pump.

 

Also the new diesels don't have smelly exhaust fumes either.

My 05 Cummins doesn't smell any different than a late model catalytic converter unleaded gasoline engine.

In fact those catlytic converter gasoline engines can smell pretty sulfurous, like rotten eggs at times. I especially notice that smell when we are climbing long grades in California. Seems like the unleaded engines when under stress really belch out the sulfur smell from their converters.

In fact my 05 Cummins exhaust smells a little like paint thinner to me. It's not strong smelling at all.
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So many Americans have this stigma that diesels smell bad, and that ain't so with the new engines.
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I sure wish California would ease-up and let the Federal EPA mandate the emissions requirements for all 50 states. The EPA requirements are pretty stiff, but they aren't "Pie in the sky" requirements that will cost automakers billions to attempt to conform-to.

 

You asked for it? Yep, your selfish.