To encourage North American acceptance of diesel-powered vehicles, DaimlerChrysler will test the U.S. and Canadian markets with a diesel-powered Jeep(R) Liberty beginning in 2004, Dieter Zetsche, President and C.E.O. of the Chrysler Group announced at a DaimlerChrysler Symposium on Innovation here today.
"The best way to show our confidence in diesel technology is to bring a modern, clean diesel passenger vehicle to market, which we intend to do," Zetsche said. "We would like to see the oil refiners commit to producing and distributing high quality, low-sulfur fuel as soon as possible."
While DaimlerChrysler offers a range of diesel-powered passenger vehicles in Europe, where approximately 35 percent of vehicles are powered by diesel engines, the Jeep Liberty will be the first light-duty sport-utility vehicle with a diesel powertrain to go on sale in the United States and Canada.
"Today's modern diesel vehicles should be part of the solution to improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions," Zetsche said. "Diesels lead to an average of up to 30 percent improvement in fuel economy, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions an average of 20 percent.
"While there are legitimate concerns about the particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) exhaust from diesels, the introduction of high quality, low-sulfur diesel fuel will enable a reduction of these emissions," added Zetsche.
The diesel Jeep Liberty will be powered by a 2.8-litre common rail turbo-diesel engine produced by DaimlerChrysler, with either a manual or automatic transmission. It is expected that the diesel-powered Liberty will have up to 30 percent improvement in fuel economy, versus a comparable gasoline-powered Liberty.