Going against recent trends, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne doesn’t foresee a small diesel engine in Chrysler’s new powertrain lineup in North America anytime soon.
According to Automotive News, Marchionne says offering smaller diesel engines will come “at a cost that will keep the vehicle from being economically viable.”
“You can do this on a larger vehicle because of the costs associated with those vehicles. It’s much more difficult to join with a car like the Chrysler 200 sedan and keep the margins above normal,” he said. “Other manufacturers are making the cars. The question of whether they’re making money is a question you should ask them specifically.”
At this point,Volkswagen and GM offer a four-cylinder diesel powertrain in the Jetta and Cruze compact sedans, respectively. VW’s turbodiesel four-cylinder is also available in the Passat mid-size sedan and other vehicles, while Mazda is working on bringing a diesel version of the redesigned 6 sedan to North America.
Currently, Chrysler’s diesel engines are exclusive to its utility vehicles, including the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 pickup. In Europe, however, the Fiat 500 and Jeep Cherokee are also available with a diesel powertrain.
Chrysler will officially unveil its new powertrain plan on May 6.
