Chrysler’s is planning advanced powertrains including hybrids and clean diesels, product development chief Frank Klegon said at the 2007 Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan.
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Within the next decade, hybrids and diesels will each account for up to 15% of the North American market, Klegon predicted, adding that the company’s light pickup trucks would get diesel engine options from 2009.
The current US diesel lineup includes the Dodge Sprinter van, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty. The Blutec Ram Heavy Duty, with a 6.7-litre Cummins Turbo Diesel engine, meets 2010 emissions standards for heavy-duty pickups for all 50 states, three years early.
Dodge will add an all-new, 50-state Cummins turbodiesel engine in light-duty pickups after 2009 and, in the 2009 model year, the Bluetec diesel-equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee also will meet emissions standards in all 50 states.
Klegon noted that the company has designed its European offerings to meet customer preferences there for diesel engines.
“It’s safe to say that we’ll see a continued migration of some of those products brought here to the US market, where we are also exploring additional penetration of our three-litre V6 diesel engine, and the possibility of a four-cylinder diesel,” he said.
