Following an array of debuts at the 2013 North American international Auto Showlast month in Detroit, GM will unveil its 2014 Chevrolet Cruze diesel.
Little has been released about the vehicle, but analysts expect it to grab a lot of the spotlight at the show, which starts Thursday with two Press Preview days.
“It’s a big deal that Chevy is bringing a diesel vehicle to the lineup in the United States,” said Brandy Schaffels, TrueCar.com senior editor and content manager. “These tend to be higher performance cars that are giving us diesel powertrains for fuel economy and performance.
“It’s really interesting to see a diesel engine come to a mainstream consumer vehicle.”
Diesels currently represents less than 3 percent of all U.S. sales. However, some companies expect that percentage to grow to 10 percent by 2020.
Robert Bosch, a global multibillion-dollar engineering and electronics automotive leader, anticipates more than 50 light-vehicle diesel models to be announced or released by 2017 in North America, including 22 new models in 2013.
European automakers – particularly Volkswagen – have dominated the diesel market in the U.S., which has increased from 235,500 units in 2008 to 301,300 in 2012, according toEdmunds.com.
“What diesel needs is more exposure in different brands,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds.com senior analyst and director of pricing and industry analysis. “Chevy coming out, being a non-European car, in a volume segment with the volume car, I definitely think it can make more of an impact.”
Caldwell said Chevrolet and Volkswagen aren’t traditionally direct competitors, but with the limited amount of passenger car diesel options, that could change.
Excluding luxury vehicles, such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz, VW is the only automaker to offer a strictly diesel passenger vehicle in the U.S. since 2008, when Chrysler offered a Grand Cherokee diesel, which it will once again start to offer later this year.
Diesel-powered vehicles have remained a niche market in the U.S. for decades due to consumer perception, pricing and the fuel being more expensive than standard gasoline, according to analysts. Diesels cost about $2,000 to $3,000 more on average than a standard gasoline engine.
American automakers have remained reluctant to build anything but diesel-version pickup trucks and heavy-duty vans.
But now, “clean diesels” are 30 percent more fuel-efficient, produce lower CO2 emissions and maintain a higher residual value compared to traditional gasoline engines.
“People that buy them tend to know a lot about the automotive industry,” Caldwell said. “I think for a lot of commuters, diesel makes a lot of sense.”
The Chicago Auto Show,celebrating its 105th year, is open to the public from Feb. 9-18 at the McCormick Center, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. Dozens of vehicles from the world’s top automakers are expected to debut during the show’s press preview days Feb. 7 and Feb. 8.
Courtesy of MLive
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