Since its introduction in early 2005 the Jeep
Liberty CRD diesel has sold almost 10,000 units, an accomplishment over which DaimlerChrysler was recently beaming
during a press conference with a group of Ohio soybean growers and the state’s governor, Bob Taft.
We
reported last summer that the
Liberty CRD got off to a strong start selling 3,000 units by the end of May. It appears that rate was maintained
throughout the year and that Liberty CRDs are not sitting on dealer lots for very long.
It’s becoming
more and more clear that if any company can reverse the negative image with which diesels have been branded in the U.S.
it will be DaimlerChrysler. Credit must be given to Volkswagen for sticking with the powerplant through thick and thin,
but Dieter Zetsche’s impassioned
introduction of the company’s new 50-state approved 3.2L BLUETEC diesel V6 at the Detroit Auto Show convinced
us this is one company that’s not betting the farm on hybrids.
[Source: Chrysler Group]