REPORT: GM 4.5L light-duty diesel V8 "indefinitely postponed"
General Motors' 4.5-liter Duramax diesel V8 engine has become the latest casualty of the automotive downturn, as GM has put the promising powertrain on indefinite hold. The General follows Ford, Toyota, and Dodge in dropping light diesel engines from its near-term plans. GM spokesperson Susan Garavaglia told Pickuptrucks.com that the project has not been canceled, and that the General was "still very interested" in using the innovative diesel powertrain in the future.
The 4.5-liter Duramax diesel sounds terrific on paper, with a 25% improvement in fuel economy, 310 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque for towing, and an innovative design that cuts weight while also saving $600 per engine. The news will be difficult for fans of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra anxiously waiting for a diesel engine in a light duty pickup truck. Still, GM points out that it has a dual-mode hybrid truck that can achieve 40% better fuel economy in the city, along with a full line of gasoline and diesel engine offerings in its truck lineup.
While the 4.5-liter diesel isn't going into GM trucks and SUVs any time soon, the General says it would still consider license the technology to a third party if the deal was beneficial to all involved.
[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
oldraven 8:31AM (3/11/2009)
Farkin' suicide. GM, you really do have no hope, and I always thought I'd be the last one to say that.
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Frylock350 8:46AM (3/11/2009)
Its suicide to not include an engine that's of little significance? The 4.5L V8 would be a niche engine. Most customers wouldn't pay more money for a loud-ass diesel. I personally would pay for it for the 500+ lb-ft, but I'm a minority. For most people the 5.3L is already good for their towing needs.
Sea Urchin 9:01AM (3/11/2009)
You hit it on the nose. GM is dying because it's product is not competitive, this engine would have helped them out a lot. This certainly would have grabbed a certain share of the market and probably would have been profitable because the engine would be used in type of vehicles GM makes money on. GM should have killed G8, Astra and saved money but kept this engine.
@ Frylock350, Automotive News says that in tests that engine was as quet as a gasoline engine.
oldraven 9:21AM (3/11/2009)
It has less to do with towing needs than it does with fuel economy needs. Now that diesel is finally back on part with gasoline, this small 1/2Tonne diesel engine would have appealed to a lot of people, and answered a request people CONSTANTLY make. GM would have been the only company making a light duty diesel pickup. I honestly think they were worried about this engine cannibalising Hybrid sales, as is obvious by their statement.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:29AM (3/11/2009)
Sea Urchin:
People say a lot of things like that. And as far as I can tell they are never right.
Daily, there is a line up of the (excellent) Mercedes Sprinter outside the back door at work. They all use the Diesel engine. If you stand within 70 feet of one of them idling you cannot possibly kid yourself that it sounds like a gas engine.
And this is a Mercedes Diesel. Presumably they know what they are doing.
tony 11:54AM (3/11/2009)
My sister-in-law's Jetta TDI Wagon oddly sounds and feels the same as my 2.0T gas engine in my A4, However she gets 15 mpg better,
MikeW 3:39PM (3/11/2009)
Which sprinter, the inline 5, or the V6?
The I5 IS trucky. the V6 is much better.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:42PM (3/11/2009)
I'll look, but I think they are all debaged.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:59PM (3/11/2009)
Oh, the internets tell me that there hasn't been an I5 CDI offered in the US since 2006. As these vehicles are less than 1 year old, they are definitely V6s.
And I'm not saying it isn't a good motor. I'm just saying it doesn't sound like a gas engine at idle. Even when warmed up. I've heard them take off and at cruising speed they sound a lot less clattery.
RJ 8:59PM (3/11/2009)
"Most customers wouldn't pay more money for a loud-ass diesel. "
If you still think a diesel is "loud-ass", you need to take that 1986 calender off your wall, and turn on the TV to check the current date.
Jared 8:34AM (3/11/2009)
Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Given the current low cost of gas and the premium cost for diesel fuel, diesel engines simply aren't economically viable so demand is down. GM simply can't afford to develop what would be a niche engine.
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akboss302 8:53AM (3/11/2009)
Agreed, but the problem is short-term perspective. This is a problem GM seems to keep overlooking. Making cars for today isn't going to solve tomorrows problems, and when gas hikes back up, people will be looking for alternatives to gas-chugging V8's to pull their toys, and maybe the hybrid will cut it but maybe it won't. This engine would at least give them competitive edge and flexibility for markets 1-3 years down the road.
Jared 9:00AM (3/11/2009)
akboss302: GM has a huge short-term cash crisis. If they don't solve that crisis now but cutting all expenses that can be cut, then they simply won't have a long-term.
oldraven 2:15PM (3/11/2009)
Actually, diesel, on average, now costs the same as premium gasoline.
Stex 8:52AM (3/11/2009)
Rats!! Guess I can buy the Serria 1500 now rather than wait for the oil burner...would be nice...gives you the option of tq for when you need it.....the battery deal just does not cut it considering cost, room taken and disposal/replacement...I would pay the bill for the oil burner...but I guess not many others...
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BigWill 8:52AM (3/11/2009)
The premium cost for diesel? Funny you say that, because this morning I saw for the first time in recent memory diesel selling for 3 cents a gallon cheaper than regular.
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Jared 9:05AM (3/11/2009)
Here in MA, regular unleaded currently costs around $1.90/gallon. Diesel currently costs about $2.40/gallon. That represents a 26% premium for diesel fuel. While diesel engines get ~25% better fuel economy, the fuel costs are a wash. Add in the extra initial purchase cost for the diesel engine and higher maintenance costs (the high pressure diesel injection system and emissions system are horribly complex), and unfortunately the economics simply don't work.
In Europe, the governments tax gasoline more than diesel fuel. Here in the US, the reverse is true.
BigMcLargeHuge 9:34AM (3/11/2009)
Jared,
Your local pump is not indicative of the national average. And
taxing and subsidies on diesel versus overseas is a moot point.
Diesel on the national average is $0.10 more than regular unleaded.
Or about the same as mid-grade unleaded.
In CA and many parts of the mid-west, diesel is now the cheapest fuel
you can buy at the pump. Despite the prices in New England, don't base national sales on your local Kwik-E Mart.
The high-pressure fuel system is similar to that used on Direct-Injection gasoline cars. Not unreliable in any real way.
Also, the emissions equipment on these diesels are quite simple. If you don't understand them, thats a different story.
Time to shelve the obsolete arguments. If you don't like diesels, fine. But nothing you said is anywhere near valid.
Mike 9:57AM (3/11/2009)
@BigMcLargeHuge
I'm not sure what part of the Midwest you're in but I've been all over IL and parts of WI in the last few weeks and diesel is still substantially higher than gas. It has come down in comparison but it's still higher. I doubt GM made this decision based on pricing, though, as fuel pricing is obviously volitile right now.
There are a lot of costs associated with sticking an engine in a vehicle and getting it to pass emissions, durability, etc. Add to that the fact that it wasn't finishd and I doubt the investment made sense when they really need to sink developement money back into cars.
Jared 11:01AM (3/11/2009)
BigMcLargeHuge:
The emissions system to get diesels to meet Tier 2 Bin 5 is simple? If it was simple, then why is it adding $1000 to $3000 in cost per vehicle? If it is simple, then why has it been so hard for the manufacturers to meet it? Why has Ford had so much trouble with regeneration on the 6.4l? Why has it been so hard for MB to get urea injection certified?
I do like diesels. I think as a technology, diesel is far preferable to hybrids. But most of the time here in the US, the economics simply don't work.