First Cadillac turbo diesel, but only for Europe
We can add one more fuel saving vehicle to the list of the ones the U.S. won't see in a showroom near you anytime soon. The Cadillac BLS, produced at GM's Saab headquarters in Sweden on the Saab 9-3 platform, is a European-only Caddy positioned to compete in the mid-sized, luxury-car segment. The BLS is offered with a range of engines with displacements from 1.9 to 2.8-liters and maximum horsepower varying from 150 to 255. The Cadillac BLS with the 1.9-liter direct-injected, turbocharged diesel engine is really what stands out on this car, since it is the first turbo diesel ever offered in a Cadillac. The diesel engine offers an average fuel-consumption rate of 6.1 liters of gas per 100 kilometers, which corresponds to 38.6 mpg. This does not compare favorably with the 20.1 mpg fuel economy of the American made Cadillac CTS, powered by the 2.8-liter gasoline engine. While the article claims any type of diesel engine is a first for Cadillac, Eric Bryant reminded me that Cadillac used the infamous LF9 Oldsmobile 350 diesel back in the '70s.[Source: Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Lee Harkness 12:14PM (6/26/2006)
Surely I'm not the only person getting tired of seeing stuff that I can't buy because it is only available in Europe. I would really like to get a small pickup with a diesel engine, but the last one available in the US was discontinued nearly 20 years ago (Ford Ranger, IIRC). I can get a diesel passenger car today, but not a small pickup. I can even get a monster pickup (Ford 250) in diesel, which is substantially less economical for my purposes than a gasoline-powered Ranger or Sonoma. Small diesels are available in Europe, but not here.
What is it about the US market that makes it impossible for me to buy what I want?
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lawtrainee 2:04PM (6/26/2006)
you cant buy one of those diesels because of many reasons
1. you will not buy a larger profit maker [ex. f250/350]
2. you will buy fewer cars total
3. mostly all these diesels engines are handbuilt in america, thus they are very costly.
4. you buy less diesel oil than gas, the government makes less money tax wise, which is contrary to policy, governments are in business to extort the most they can from the people they care about the least, i.e. the middle class. potential users of this hypothetical pickup
5. The emissions requirements require a cleaner diesel than Europe. The huge CA market requires future cleanier diesel engines, the economy of building a diesel just for the other 48 states [minus New York] means less return. the jeep liberty diesel was dropped because some were being sold in areas were diesel oil was much more expensive than regular gas and they did not sell were other areas picked up a lot of them. [also dropped because of what they said were the cost to upgrade the diesel for future engine requirements, the diesel came from italy, and was a clear polluter
--- wait and buy a jeep grand cherokee, it will have a mercedes diesel when it comes and only for a small price premium[1000-1500]!! much lower than those $6000-7000 they want for a powerstroke/ cummins/ duramax diesel.
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Colin Rumsey 12:34PM (1/23/2007)
I want to see a European jeep liberty diesel because the American versions are all sub-supplier trash and Daimler won't live up to their promises to fix them under warranty. I want to see a 6 speed manual trans Jeep Liberty Diesel. No more garbage Daimler auto transmissions.
Don't let Daimler fool you the reason the Liberty Diesel was pulled is because Daimler knew of many defective components and assemble anyway creating havoc with its customer base. They need to abandon the front an re-group back in der faterland for another panzer attack.
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