Sir Sam
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2009
Posts: 1684
Location: Fort Collins Colorado!
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 Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| D Clymer wrote: |
Hmm, I'm not sure how my memory catalogued VM Motori as Magna Maranelli  . Thanks for adding to my list. It's interesting to learn about some additional Jeep models available with diesel power - including the Wrangler.
It's ironic that the new Grand Cherokee isn't getting the Mercedes engine even though the platform is heavily Mercedes ML based. It's also interesting that they are just now putting a Mercedes 2.2 diesel in the facelifted Patriot when a deal couldn't be arrived at to put the Mercedes diesel in the Cherokee.
I imagine with Fiat influence, there will be some new diesel engine choices for Jeeps in the future.
David |
Yes, initially the Mercedes OM642 was going to be the engine, but after the split the cost of buying the engines from Daimler was just too high, hence the delayed diesel launch and what will now be the VM unit.
The whole thing reeks with irony, Jeep under the helm of Daimler, and now under the helm of fiat, if we can throw in a Japanese owner next the "axis" will be complete.
The Jeep world is alight with diesel talk right now, there have been some trickling indications over the past few months that a JK based pickup may be coming, and the usual pillow-talk about diesel options.
When Jeep released the 2005 and 2006 KJ CRD they sold about 3 times the expected volume, or about 15,000 vehicles total. When the new emissions standards for the US kicked in for 2007 the VM unit was dropped from the US lineup, and the OM642 was offered in the Grand. The problem was you could get a nicely equipped Liberty for 25k new with the CRD, then two years later you could ONLY get a fully loaded Grand with the diesel for $43k. For $45k at the same time you could buy a ML320 CDI. The feeling is that the German overlords got excited by the potential to sell a diesel after the success of the KJ CRD, and decided to offer something they could really make money on, a fully loaded Grand Cherokee. As expected, most people balked at paying that much for a diesel. There is also a fair amount of resentment that Jeep never advertised the diesel for sale in the US untill the last month of production - and even then it was only to brag about the fuel economy of the fleet. CRD owners can only look back and shake our heads and wonder how many units would have been sold if jeep had just advertised that they sold a diesel in the US.
But I digress, I could talk for days about the US diesel market.........
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'91 Carat Westy
87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon |
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dredward
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2007
Posts: 1081
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject: :) |
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My mind/wheels are turning......
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Cars owned: 1979/89 scirraco, 1983 gti, 1984 gti, 1986 gti, 1990 gli, 1989 cabriolet(2.0,16v conversion), 1992 gti, 1982 Westy, 1987 syncro Westy(w/ 1.8t conversion stg1 chip), and finally 2004 r32.... |
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