GM sees growth for diesels in U.S. and China

[kscarbel2]

Automotive News / May 27, 2015

General Motors sees "attractive" growth opportunities for diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. and China.

GM President Dan Ammann said sales of diesel cars will grow because diesels are an "intrinsically more efficient engine" than gasoline units.

"We see attractive growth opportunities (for diesels) in the U.S. and, over time, also in Asia and specifically in China,” Ammann told reporters here on Tuesday.

GM said it will expand its GM Powertrain Europe global diesel development center* in Turin, Italy.

The center provides Opel/Vauxhall, Chevrolet and other GM brands with diesel technology. It grew out of GM’s failed partnership with Fiat at VM Motori** (2011-2013) and now employs about 650 people in a collaboration with Turin’s Polytechnic university.

GM will add a new area to the center of about 2,500 square meters, dedicated to new labs and offices. Construction will start next year.

The center developed GM's new 2.8-liter diesel engine that will be offered on the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado pickup trucks starting in the second half. It also engineered Opel's downsized 1.6-liter CDTI diesel which GM says is the quietest diesel in its class.

* Founded in 2005 in Turin, Italy, GM Powertrain Europe is the center of innovation and development for diesel engines and related electronic control of GM globally and designs propulsion systems for Opel/Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and other GM brands. It was briefly part of Fiat-GM Powertrain during the entities’ 2011-2013 period. In late 2008, the R&D center relocated to the Polytechnic University of Turin, making GM the first automaker to become a physical part of a university campus.

** Noted Italian diesel engine maker VM Motori was acquired in 1995 by Detroit Diesel, then a 80/20 Penske-GM joint venture.

In 2000, Detroit Diesel was acquired by DaimlerChrysler (1998-2007), who fitted many Toledo-built export Jeeps with VM Motori engines.

Penske Corporation purchased a 51% stake in VM Motori in 2003 and acquired the remaining 49% from DaimlerChrysler in 2007. Penske then sold 50% of it to GM.

Penske sold its 50 percent stake in VM Motori to Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) in early 2011, resulting in an unplanned partnering of sorts between GM and Fiat.

In late 2013, Fiat Group Automobiles acquired GM’s 50% stake in VM Motori.

[General Ike]

Ironically, the VM Motori 3.0l diesel V6 that is now available in Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500's was originally slated to be available in GM products. When GM and Fiat "unpartnered", and our government screwed the debt holders of Chrysler by essentially handing what was left of the company to Fiat... Voilà the engine went from being a GM product on US shores to being a Chrysler product.

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[RoadwayR]

This isn't truck related, I believe GM is talking about small diesels for passenger cars and light trucks. In addition, these efforts will probably become more focused on other countries, primarily in Asia. Diesels will likely be slowly phased out of light vehicles in the U.S. and western Europe for cost and emissions reasons. France is already moving in that direction.

BTW- what became of the rumors GM was getting back into medium duty trucks?