– Preview: 2013 Diesel Car Lineup in the U.S.The Green Car Driver –

CADILLAC

Cadillac announced its diesel plans back in January with the unveiling of the new Cadillac ATS.  A diesel is expected to follow after the gasoline version of the ATS goes on sale in the fall but the automaker has been mum on when this will actually happen.

The ATS is built on a new, rear-wheel-drive platform and is eight inches shorter than the Cadillac CTS.  It continues the automaker’s Art & Science design language with a mixture of angular lines and flat surfaces.  It has 50/50 weight distribution and uses GM’s Magnetic Ride Control.

Cadillac was the first U.S. automaker to offer a diesel back in the late 70s but the 5.7-liter V-8 engines suffered from poor reliability and tarnished the reputation of diesels for generations to come.

CHEVROLET

Chevrolet, which sold 33,000 diesel-powered Cruzes in other markets last year, will offer a 2.0-liter diesel Cruze in the U.S. for model year 2013.  The Cruze, which is GM’s best-selling model globally, will be the only domestically-manufactured compact diesel on the market.

The Cruze that will be sold in the U.S. will be similar in many respects to the diesel-powered Cruzes sold in Europe and Australia.  Those models have a turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-liter engine that develops 161 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, a figure that is roughly double what the current petrol-powered Cruze has in the U.S.

CHRYSLER

In January, Chrysler announced that it will offer a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee for sale in the United States for model-year 2013 although it has not provided any additional details since the announcement.

The automaker currently manufacturers a Grand Cherokee diesel as an export model at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan  and it is likely that U.S. buyers will see a similar model here.

That car in its current configuration comes with 3.0-liter V-6 turbo-charged diesel that develops 237 hp and 405 pound-feet of torque.  The EU cycle rates fuel economy at 27 mpg (8.71 l/100 km) in the city and 39 mpg (6.03 l/100 km) on the highway.

MAZDA

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mazda reiterated plans for a diesel passenger car.  Although details are scarce, the automaker said that it will use its new Skyactiv-D 2.2L diesel engine in that model, mated to the Sky-Drive transmission.

The Skyactiv-D 2.2 is the first diesel-powered automobile to meet Japan’s stringent new emissions standards without requiring urea after-treatment technology to reduce nitrogen oxide, which can add significantly to the cost of a diesel automobile.

Mazda offers engine in the new CX-5 crossover in Japan and other markets and it is likely that this model will be the automaker’s first U.S. diesel as well  The 2.2-liter I-4 develops 310 pound-feet of torque and it used 5.34  l/100 km (44 mpg) in the Japanese JC08 fuel economy testing cycle.

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