Chevy Cruze Diesel on the way....

[Lscman]

I'm sure Ford has their eye on competitors and will carefully consider the pros and cons. They got stung real bad trying diesels in Escort and Tempo econoboxes. Both failed miserably due to zero customer demand. Chrysler recently put world class diesel power in SUV's, but once again, american consumers didn't want them. Any wise marketeer will use those datapoints to decide what makes sense for our market. A tiny group of fanboys seek these rare diesel Jeeps in the used market for top dollar, but the masses won't try one and don't want them. A diesel in a heavy SUV makes far more sense than putting one in an econobox based upon potential cost savings. Chrysler lost big money on the development. Hybrid technology and electric city metro commuter powerplants are more popular for econoboxes like Focus and will likely win out. Ford should not be looking at 20-30yo Jetta/Rabbit diesel history in the USA to steer the Focus product development thru today's hybrid era.

[Kevastator]

Originally Posted by Lscman

I'm sure Ford has their eye on competitors and will carefully consider the pros and cons. They got stung real bad trying diesels in Escort and Tempo econoboxes. Both failed miserably due to zero customer demand. Chrysler recently put world class diesel power in SUV's, but once again, american consumers didn't want them. Any wise marketeer will use those datapoints to decide what makes sense for our market. A tiny group of fanboys seek these rare diesel Jeeps in the used market for top dollar, but the masses won't try one and don't want them. A diesel in a heavy SUV makes far more sense than putting one in an econobox based upon potential cost savings. Chrysler lost big money on the development. Hybrid technology and electric city metro commuter powerplants are more popular for econoboxes like Focus and will likely win out. Ford should not be looking at 20-30yo Jetta/Rabbit diesel history in the USA to steer the Focus product development thru today's hybrid era.

Chrysler just unveiled the 2014 cherokee with the 3.0 ecodiesel motor from Europe, so there has to be some demand for it haha

But yeah, I would buy a diesel focus... just sayin..

[FocusOnMeNow]

Originally Posted by swansong

The Ecoboost F150 is a prime example of Ford being a proactive company. No other truck has a twin-turbo V6. They started the whole big-truck/big-power/good-mpg trend with it, and no other truck maker can match that combo yet. Sure the V6 Ram gets 25 mpg hwy, but it doesn't have the power that the Ecoboost does.

In fact, I see Ford's Ecoboostization of the product line as very proactive, escpecially for an American automaker. Ford is also trying to change the idea that small car =/= cheap car, in terms of quality, which is clearly evident by the Mk3 Focus. The other automakers are following Ford's lead IMO.

I'll give Ford credit for the truck's Ecoboost. As for small, cheap cars, every other manufacture has been doing it for years. Ford is now producing small cars that people like.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Xparent Blue FF Mobile

[SydneyRoo]

If Ford is watching, I will trade in my Focus the moment a 2.0L Duratorq diesel Escape (preferably) or Focus is offered.

They can have ALL my money if either of those are offered!

[Lscman]

Originally Posted by Kevastator

Chrysler just unveiled the 2014 cherokee with the 3.0 ecodiesel motor from Europe, so there has to be some demand for it haha

But yeah, I would buy a diesel focus... just sayin..

The euro-sourced Jeep turbo Diesel powerplants were released a number of years ago. They already invested in this losing proposition, so it's hardly an unveiling. Demand for Jeep products is poor, some dismal models sell under 20K units per year. The product line is redundant between Dodge and Jeep SUV's, so quality for both suffers. The Chrysler push for diesels in USA began in the Daimler-Benz era. These motors are similar to those you find in commercial trucks. From an off-roading and towing standpoint they make good sense. European & Asian buyers who accept Fiat product may eventually embrace them. However diesel sales here by Jeep are very poor because customers don't want them. Overall quality is poor at Chrysler and they have not proven to be an industry leader. The european owner pushes diesels for our market without understanding the customer. Their formula is bad and it should not be copied by Ford. Chrysler remains in last place in many respects. Wealthy professionals in the USA with fat wallets will continue to buy a BMW X or Mercedes diesel SUV, not a Jeep.

Diesels are better suited for trucks and off-road vehicles. Electric and hybrid is better suited for econoboxes. However there will always be some product overlap.

Ford and GM need to be very careful they don't offer too many product variants because it cuts overall profit margin. It makes things more difficult for the dealership tech's and assembly lines who are on the hook to maintain customer satisfaction. GM bankrupted themselves producing too many different lower production products. As variations in design increase, quality and reliability decreases because resources get spread too thin. The variations in the Focus/C-Max fleet is already very broad and quality is dropping. They need to learn from their past mistakes by focusing precious resources on fewer designs with fewer bugs. The asians mfrs taught USA that QUALITY is what sells cars, not a mind-boggling list of powerplants and tranny combos. Market leaders Prius and Civic do not come with a diesel in the USA. They should be Ford's econobox competition targets. The civic diesel sold in europe costs over $30K. I'd rather plug my commuter car into the wall and get an effective 100MPG from a cost per mile standpoint. Diesel fuel cost is rising quicker than gasoline.

[jinstall]

The Cruze was announced about 7 months ago.

Ford announced the 3.2 and 2.0 diesels 2 months ago.

Pretty much ANY car exported from the US has a diesel option. 99% of all Chrysler products, including Jeep, offer at least one if not 2 diesel engine options.

As for the hybrid folks, hybrids are a hazardous waste accident ready to happen, not to mention the eco footprint to develop them is far beyond eco-friendly. No emergancy services require special training for normal gasoline-diesel engine vehicles, hybrids on the other hand do.

[kam327]

Chevy Cruise TD Base Price: $26,500

Same highway MPG as the Cruze Eco Manual ($20,500)

Only 3 more MPG than the Cruze Eco Automatic ($21,700)

Deduct $1,000 since the TD comes standard with leather seats (not available in the Eco?) and the price premium for the diesel is around $3,800.

Who still wants one?

[swansong]

Hmm. $3800 for no increase in fuel economy. But surely it should be faster than the Eco with 148 hp and 258 ft/lbs. Oh but no manual option...

My guess is that the real world MPG numbers will favor the diesel over the gas engine though.

[kam327]

Originally Posted by swansong

Hmm. $3800 for no increase in fuel economy. But surely it should be faster than the Eco with 148 hp and 258 ft/lbs. Oh but no manual option...

My guess is that the real world MPG numbers will favor the diesel over the gas engine though.

Maybe. But $3,800 will buy you almost 1,100 gallons of gas. That's over 3 years' worth for me....

[Lscman]

Originally Posted by kam327

Maybe. But $3,800 will buy you almost 1,100 gallons of gas. That's over 3 years' worth for me....

Indeed! Diesel fuel customarily costs about 10% more and this $3800 option offers no performance gains. This isn't a cummins truck motor offering tremendous performance improvements with extended lifecycle, tremendous resale and ROI fuel cost payback in a couple years. It's just a total flush of cash. I need more than just novelty or uniqueness. Stuff is often rare because it offers no benefits and wise people simply won't buy it. This is the case here.