REORT: Chrysler kills light-duty Cummins engine for Dodge Ram 1500, at least for now
2009 Dodge Ram - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to court documents, Chrysler has put at least a temporary halt to the expected light-duty Cummins diesel engine for the Dodge Ram 1500. Mark Land, director of public relations at Cummins, tells our sleuthy friends at PickupTrucks.com:
This is not a surprise. We're OK with this. We've been trying to rework development of the [light-duty diesel] engine over the last several months, given the current economic climate.It may not come as too much of a shock to anyone that's been paying attention, but it's unwelcome news nonetheless. Just like all other contracts that Chrysler had with its suppliers, the agreement between Dodge and Cummins to build the diesel powerplant was voided when the automaker filed for bankruptcy and the deal was not transferred to New Chrysler. Fortunately, there's still a ray of hope that the engine program will live on. Says Land:
Chrysler hasn't told us they don't want to [build the engine], it just won't happen under the terms of the original contract with the New Chrysler.Even without Chrysler, Cummins plans to eventually put the light-duty diesel engine into production. There remains a possibility that another automaker (Nissan perhaps?) may pick up the powerplant for use in a consumer-grade vehicle.
Gallery: 2009 Dodge Ram
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 9:17PM (6/18/2009)
Why not putting a high-tech Mercedes or BMW diesel engine in the RAM?
Not only would it work better, it would also be wayy more efficient than WW2 era Cummins motors.
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sydbot 9:24PM (6/18/2009)
I find it hard to believe that mileage standards will be met without these smaller diesels in pickup trucks. 30 MPG CUVs will only get your light truck fleet mileage up so high if you sell just as many or more pickups.
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ale 12:08PM (6/20/2009)
byebye Chrysler.. new chrysler old chrysler same old ____ so much for change...
Rob 10:01PM (6/18/2009)
FIAT has a 3L V6 diesel in development that may fit the bill without the need to pay Cummins to develop yet another lump.
260-280hp and 380-ish lb-ft of torque? Should be sufficient, and at worst they can probably punch it out a little to get a bit more displacement for the trucks.
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Nick 5:09AM (6/19/2009)
That sounds interesting, a 3L V6 diesel would definitely be enough for 90% of truck drivers.
380 lb-ft of torque is plenty to pull standard trailers.
Cummins (or any other diesel truck motor made in usa) is prehistoric junk as far as I know.
Throwback 10:17AM (6/19/2009)
Nick, the latest Cummins and Ford (Navistar) diesels are state of the art. They are designed for heavy duty truck use so you have to compare them to a gas V-8 in similar trucks. They also produce prodigious amounts of torque, well over 500lb/ft which makes them excellent tow vehicles. The new light duty engine Cummins was going to build would I assume, be less powerful but no less advanced.
jpm100 6:22AM (6/19/2009)
Emissions make diesel a dead end. Emissions don't stand still, they are getting stricter constantly and some of the new diesels in today's market will be gone in a few years because of a emissions standards.
Legacy desires of the 'old pollution' crowd hampering the desires of the 'new pollution' crowd. I'd grab a box of popcorn if I wasn't caught in the middle.
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Tim 9:38AM (6/19/2009)
Only in the "changed" America...
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wxman 9:49AM (6/19/2009)
Cummins is currently developing downsized versions of the light truck engine they've developed in conjunction with DOE. Improvements to the baseline engine have already achieved over 7% improvement in fuel economy, and it appears over 10% improvement will be easily attainable (http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/05/cummins-ldecc-20090521.html#more).
The baseline Cummins V8 engine showed a fuel economy improvement of 49% in the Ram 1500 over the V8 Hemi gas engine at T2B5 emissions (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/pdfs/deer_2005/panel2/2005_deer_stang.pdf).
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Throwback 10:18AM (6/19/2009)
Nick, the latest Cummins and Ford (Navistar) diesels are state of the art. They are designed for heavy duty truck use so you have to compare them to a gas V-8 in similar trucks. They also produces prodigious amounts of torque, well over 500lb/ft which makes them excellent tow vehicles. The new light duty engine Cummins was going to build would I assume be less powerful but no less advanced.
Reply