General Motors to Bring More Clean Diesels to North American Market

After suffering a bout of unpopularity in North America, diesel power is finally returning to favour. Automakers are developing extra clean diesel engines capable of overcoming extremely tough emissions controls, which are also smooth, powerful, rich in torque and easy on the wallet. Thanks to technology developed and refined in Europe, North Americans will be treated to the latest generation of engines that feature piezoelectric injectors and variable geometry turbochargers. These engines have already started to appear on ML-, R- and GL-Class Mercedes-Benzes and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, and will appear next year in the new Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Tiguan TDI. Other automakers have pledged to enter the battle by the end of the decade, including BMW, Honda, Hyundai and Subaru.

While some brands aren’t firm believers in the technology for our market (Toyota preferring hybrids and Ford opting for its TwinForce engines), the latest player to the compression ignition game will be General Motors. Product guru Bob Lutz recently confirmed and outlined the General’s plan for diesel technology in North America on his Fastlane Blog. The first diesels were already announced a few weeks ago, designed for use in GM’s GMT900-series SUVs, pickups and the Hummer H2. But there’s much more in store.

The second wave of diesels expected to arrive by 2009 will be wearing the Cadillac crest, no less, bringing back scary memories for those who remember Cadillac’s ill-fated fling with poorly executed diesels in the late ’70s, early ’80s. These new modern powerplants will be altogether different, however, and will include an engine designed for use in RWD and AWD vehicles. General Motors will be working with its latest purchase (half-purchase, buying 50-percent, technically), Italian diesel specialist VM Motori (the company behind the Liberty CRD’s engine) to build a new 2.9-litre V6, which should provide ample power and torque. It’s expected that the engine will be used in the CTS, STS and the SRX crossover. Following this, Lutz stated that a front-wheel drive version of the engine would be available by the end of the decade, with insiders hinting at its debut in the next-generation Saturn Aura, which is expected to be a badge-engineered clone of the next-generation Opel Vectra.

Despite the good news, Lutz doesn’t believe that it’s wise to pin the automaker’s hopes on diesel technology. Emissions controls are expected to be raised further in the not too distant future, which almost certainly will require the use of more costly filters that will send prices of diesel-powered cars shooting upwards. Lutz currently expects the cost of equipping cars with the right filters and emission controls to cost around $2,000+ US dollars per unit, in addition to the $2,000 USD average that diesel cars command over their gasoline counterparts. Another point against diesel engines is the issue of reserves, or namely the lack of reserves and refinery production capacity, plus in the U.S., at least, fewer refueling stations.

Instead, the general consensus amongst automakers is to provide a diverse portfolio of powertrains including E85, hybrids, hydrogen vehicles and electric cars with ERV, such as the Chevrolet Volt Concept.