DaimlerChrysler to stop making diesel SUV

Less than a week after announcing plans to offer the first diesel-powered full-size sport utility vehicle in the United States, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said it is halting production of the diesel ...

[bruce panchal]

dear sir i have been fasinated with diesel since day one ,its a bad move where other auto makers are going to benifit i have 2001 dodge ram 2500 diesel iam happy with it ,i had changed front and rear deferatial to get better fuel , why cant chrysrler do the same thing ; to me diesel suv and trucks are the best idea ,it would be the best thing for chry to cont.,

[wes jones]

I am happy to provide assistance to the DaimlerChrysler dilema, on the diesel engine emissions. A call to Hydrogen Innovations in Blackfoot, Idaho will prove to be cost effective and priceless in the long run.
If Chrysler Corporation is interested in a Hydrogen fuel system that can reduce a diesel-fueled car's carbon monoxide emissions up to 94% and has the potential to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by more than 80%, and may increase pure oxygen emissions by 800%. Then Chrysler representatives need to make the call.
One telephone call at $1.35, a round trip ticket to evaluate the Hydrogen system $500.00, a meal at Rupes Burgers $7.50, this is relatively cheap compared to scrapping the plans for the diesel Liberty.
The ability to meet higher emission standards while providing a safer and cleaner environment is Priceless.

[Mogan Dave]

I drive an Isuzu one-ton pick up with a four cylinder, 3L diesel engine and automatic transmission that gets over 40 MPG. Why is this not available in the US?

Wake up; George Bush and his billionaire oil cronies are not going to allow anything that might reduce our dependency on oil. Surprisingly this was scrapped after the big three’s White House meeting. Coincidence? Right.

[John]

Diesel's nice, but the big push here in America recently seems to be more towards ethanol than diesel.

[Sean]

Doesn't make much sense to me, they launch a Jeep Grand Cherokee with CRD the same week they kill a CRD Liberty. According to their reasoning, the 3.0 CRD in the Grand Cherokee must be cleaner than the 2.7L Jeep Liberty CRD. I would hope they are working on something else, or perhaps they are forced to this move due to new fleet emission regulations. Also, the E85 move is a waist of time for now. Until they can figure out how to make fuel from sources other than corn, the nation can not produce enought ethanol if all the auto's switched over (at least that's what I read)

[Peter Kells]

I recently purchased a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD and am quite impressed with the diesel performance both in terms of fuel economy (I have achieved results as low as 9.6L/100 Km) and the towing capacity (it just purrs up the hills and down). I also have excellent results running on B20 Biodiesel from my neighbourhood fuel station. Kudos to Daimler for bringing out the Liberty CRD and thumbs down for their decision to discontinue it!

[Lashlarue]

The CRD will be available again in 2008, as a former engineer for GM my educated guess is that the diesel was dropped more because of the torque converter problems they had with mating this engine with the diesel, than meeting federal emissions, as the federally mandated low sulphur diesel fuel and clean burn engine technology are now available and have been for most of this year.

[Frank Mancuso]

Electric cars=18% efficency
Gasoline cars=30% efficency
Diesel cars = 38% efficency
Diesels are the most efficent engins known, and can burn on renewables. Whats the issue?

[AMX]

Frank Mancuso wrote:

Electric cars=18% efficency
Gasoline cars=30% efficency
Diesel cars = 38% efficency
Diesels are the most efficent engins known, and can burn on renewables. Whats the issue?

They smell very bad. I mean they make very nasty odors either when accelerating and at the gas pump. They are slower than gas engines. And Biodiesels are rising corn prices beyond people's reach. How nice is being an Econazi?.
Maybe the Hidrogen engine is the answer, I don´t know, but Biodiesels don't, for sure.

Sorry for my English. ;-)

[Geo]

AMX wrote:

<quoted text>
They smell very bad. I mean they make very nasty odors either when accelerating and at the gas pump. They are slower than gas engines. And Biodiesels are rising corn prices beyond people's reach. How nice is being an Econazi?.
Maybe the Hidrogen engine is the answer, I don´t know, but Biodiesels don't, for sure.
Sorry for my English. ;-)

The new diesels do not smell and with todays technology they are more powerful and as fast as any gasser

[AMX]

Geo wrote:

<quoted text>The new diesels do not smell and with todays technology they are more powerful and as fast as any gasser

More powerful and as fast as any gasser?. Nope. Technology has gone a long way since the sixties both in diesel and gas engines but they still have a looooong way to go to make a diesel perform like a gasser. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. They still smell like hell when you refill them at the pump and you need a glove to keep your hand clean when you refill them. I have to admit they get a slightly better mileage, but that's all.
By the way, what do you think about destroying huge Amazonian forest extensions to make corn fields for biodiesel in Brazil?. What do you think if corn prices has grown so high that mexican people can't afford his basic food, the "tortitas de maíz"?.
Think about it. ;-)

[Jambo]

AMX wrote:

<quoted text>
More powerful and as fast as any gasser?. Nope. Technology has gone a long way since the sixties both in diesel and gas engines but they still have a looooong way to go to make a diesel perform like a gasser. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. They still smell like hell when you refill them at the pump and you need a glove to keep your hand clean when you refill them. I have to admit they get a slightly better mileage, but that's all.
By the way, what do you think about destroying huge Amazonian forest extensions to make corn fields for biodiesel in Brazil?. What do you think if corn prices has grown so high that mexican people can't afford his basic food, the "tortitas de maíz"?.
Think about it. ;-)

Take a look at the Mercedes 320 CDI. 420 ft. lb. of torque and both faster and more powerful than the gasoline version of the same car.

[AMX]

Jambo wrote:

<quoted text>
Take a look at the Mercedes 320 CDI. 420 ft. lb. of torque and both faster and more powerful than the gasoline version of the same car.

Take a look at the SRT8 GC:
Power: 313 kW , 420 HP SAE @ 6,200 rpm; 569 ft lb , 420 Nm @ 4,800 rpm.

Faster and more powerful than the diesel version of the same car.;-D

[alias121]

You're looking at the performance-tuned top-end version. In general, it is true that diesel is more powerful and more fuel efficient than gasoline.

[herbster]

AMX wrote:

<quoted text>
More powerful and as fast as any gasser?. Nope. Technology has gone a long way since the sixties both in diesel and gas engines but they still have a looooong way to go to make a diesel perform like a gasser. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. They still smell like hell when you refill them at the pump and you need a glove to keep your hand clean when you refill them. I have to admit they get a slightly better mileage, but that's all.
By the way, what do you think about destroying huge Amazonian forest extensions to make corn fields for biodiesel in Brazil?. What do you think if corn prices has grown so high that mexican people can't afford his basic food, the "tortitas de maíz"?.
Think about it. ;-)

The sugarcane fields in Brazil are being used to grow ethanol for modified gas engines, not biodiesel. While the use of agricultural land to provide fuel for vehicles is problematic, if that use is necessary, then surely we should be using the most efficient engines to use that fuel- and that has to be diesel engines.

[Jerry]

bruce panchal wrote:

dear sir i have been fasinated with diesel since day one ,its a bad move where other auto makers are going to benifit i have 2001 dodge ram 2500 diesel iam happy with it ,i had changed front and rear deferatial to get better fuel , why cant chrysrler do the same thing ; to me diesel suv and trucks are the best idea ,it would be the best thing for chry to cont.,

Couldn't agree more. I wish they would put a diesel in the Dakota also.

[AMX]

alias121 wrote:

You're looking at the performance-tuned top-end version. In general, it is true that diesel is more powerful and more fuel efficient than gasoline.

We're talking about performance and power...or maybe I missed something?.
This example is a stock car you can buy, not a race car or a special-order vehicle, and it's not the fastest gas car on the road, it's only a fast SUV just like the Mercedes-Benz.
And if you're looking for fuel efficiency take a look at the gas engines used in motorcycles, that's fuel efficiency and horsepower per cubic inch.
It's very simple, a gram of gasoline makes more calories than a gram of diesel when you burn them.

[Jim]

Who says a diesel can not burn clean. Check out the truck retrofitted by the guys in LA who just happen to be the ones to build Y2K bike(MarineTurbineTech). Ran truck on used vegetable oil(frying oil). Why are we still using outdated piston engines. There are hundreds or thousands of ways to propel your vehicle. Dig a little deeper to find something to work. Chrysler tried this technology in the '50's & '60's. Hope to see more in future?

[Jim]

John wrote:

Diesel's nice, but the big push here in America recently seems to be more towards ethanol than diesel.

Check the figures of vehicles that run ethanol. Fuel economy drops a lot verses regular gas. www.fueleconomy.gov sure, surprises me.
We all want to complain about a problem. Why not look for solutions. Do not expect someone else to do it. We think everything is to be fixed by the government. I believe in history class we were taught that we left Great Britain for bulling us around(big government). Food for thought, start your own company to fix the problem. What about retro all current vehicles to better fuel/emissions. I game get me some R&D funds, I give you cleaner air/more mpg?

[JVE]

Why else do you only see Tractor Trailers in diesel? Because the are more powerful, and efficient. Ethanol is not cleaner then gas, because it pollutes more in making the stuff, and it takes more of it to get you from point a to b. Another thing is we better start damming streams, and bring back DDT, and nuclear power, if you want to grow it, that is if we even have the usable land. Even with using switch grass its a long shot. The real reason auto makers push ethanol, and hybrids is tax breaks.