Filed under: Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, Dodge, Ford, Jaguar, Diesel, Ram


Chrysler is ramping up production of the EcoDiesel engine for the Ram 1500, as consumer demand has far outstripped availability. Chrysler now expects about 20 percent of Ram 1500s will be sold with the EcoDiesel engine for the 2015 model year.

That's double the original estimates.

Chrysler figured only 10 percent of buyers would opt for the oil-burner when it launched earlier this year. Then more than 8,000 orders poured in during the first three days the engine was available, which filled the initial allocation.

"The demand is there for this product, and customers have asked for it," said Bob Hegbloom, CEO of the Ram truck brand.

Recognizing the pent-up demand has allowed the Ram EcoDiesel to take off, filling a void in the marketplace, said Dave Sullivan, manager of product analysis for automotive research firm, AutoPacific.

"The Ram diesel is a sales success and actually a very refined powertrain," he said in an email. "It isn't some Frankenstein oddball engine. It feels like it was plucked out of the Audi A8. It's quiet, torquey, efficient and doesn't necessarily break the bank. The price walk from the Hemi V8 to the diesel is actually reasonable."Continue reading Weekly Recap: Ram doubles down on diesels

Weekly Recap: Ram doubles down on diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Oct 2014 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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More diesels coming to America!

 

Where do you figure these diesel pickups are coming from?

 

Where I'm coming from, is that diesel as a fuel seems to be seriously underused in the US, I'm guessing its mostly down to low gas prices that have been enjoyed for such a long time, which are now on the up.

Diesel cars can be extremely quick and powerful and also enjoy much better fuel economy too, although of course we'd all love a roaring V8...lol

I think it brings a wider choice to prospective car buyers and that can only be a good thing

 

Actually, gasoline prices have been dropping in the US recently, presently averaging $3.12 per gallon nationwide. The bigger issue with diesel adoption in the US is that diesel fuel normally costs 15-20% more than gasoline (diesel now averages $3.66/gal nationwide). If a diesel model averages 25-30% better fuel efficiency than its gas engine counterpart, then the majority of that benefit is eaten up by the fuel price premium. Contrast this with Europe where government tax policies keep diesel fuel prices below that of gasoline to encourage usage.

Since diesel engine models normally cost more than gasoline, it's no wonder that US consumers don't clamor for them. The payback is simply too long with the fuel price premium here.

US fuel price info can be found here: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update - Energy Information Administration