FCA Could Phase Out Diesel Passenger Cars by 2022: Report
The cars that would be eliminated aren’t sold in North America, but it might be bad news for diesel-powered Rams and Jeeps.
As more and more automakers consider or outright decide, that they’re done with diesel, another major car manufacturer is reportedly phasing oil burners out of production. It's Fiat-Chrysler, a pretty prominent player in the diesel game in the U.S., although, at this time it doesn't sell any diesel-powered cars in North America.
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles carries the Ram brand and has famously been selling trucks with Cummins diesel engines under the hood since the 1980s. Outside of Ram, there’s very little diesel presence for FCA in the U.S. You can still get a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, which has seen a little controversy. We can't help but wonder what this means for the diesel-powered Jeep Wrangler that's been promised.
The Financial Times reports that FCA allegedly plans to eliminate diesel engines from passenger cars by 2022 citing a drop in demand and high costs of development. That's to say nothing about the controversy swirling around diesels over the past few years. However, the FT story alleges it's diesel-powered passenger cars that are under review and suggests no change with regard to the truck strategy.
However, that does raise questions about the Ram 1500 and the HD trucks in which Cummins diesels are a popular choice. This report comes at a strange time right after Ford and Chevy both announced they’ll be offering diesel engines in the F-150 and Silverado 1500, respectively. That news came after several years of the Ram 1500 being the only name in diesel half-ton American pickups.
If there's truth to this report, its impact won't be noticed in North America. However, it could be bad news for diesel-powered Rams and Jeeps.
The Drive reached out to the automaker and FCA declined to comment.