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Ford won’t sell diesel cars in the US

 
6 4,992 views Jan 8, 2007

Ford won’t sell diesel cars in the US

Ford won’t sell diesel cars in the US

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Tougher emissions rules in the US and the low popularity of diesel powered passenger vehicles in North America means that Ford won't be offering any diesel cars in the US. Its range of diesel pickup trucks will remain, but in an article from Automotive News, the company has stated that it will not launch a vehicle unless it makes money.

The F-150 pickup will be introduced with a 4.4L turbocharged V8 diesel engine co-developed with Land Rover towards the end of 2008, but there are no plans for a diesel powered car anytime soon from the Blue Oval. Instead, Ford will promote its new gasoline direct injection and turbocharging technology known as TwinForce.

There were originally plans to market the new Focus compact with a diesel engine, which could boost fuel economy by about 30 percent. European versions of the car can achieve economy rates of 50mpg on the highway, but America’s new emissions rules that started this month have ruled out this option.



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Comments (6)

  1. By surok Posted: 1/8/2007 4:54am PST

    americans......... i thought all their pickups were diesel powered?
    you mean there isnt even a deisel f150 or f250.. omg
     
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  2. By Greg Faulkner Posted: 1/9/2007 9:07pm PST

    F250--yes. F150--no.

    It's complicated over here. Until 2007, diesels had to meet tough emission rules with respect to PM and NOx, but we had fuel that was laden with high levels of sulfur, making compliance on these emission rules difficult. For this reason, it was cost prohibitive for automakers to market diesels here.

    The F250/F350 Super Duty falls under a more relaxed emission standard (above 8500 lb GVWR) and is not subjected to these impossible limits while burning this dirty fuel. The Super Duty Series truck garners an almost, 75% diesel market share the last two years, even as the diesel choice cost the consumer over $5,000 extra. The Ford diesel is built by International Truck and Engine Company.

    Likewise, Dodge Ram 2500/3500 and GMC/Chevy 2500/3500 also sell diesels in their heavier classes but not their 1/2 ton classes for the same reasons eluded to above. Cummins builds the Engine for the Dodge, and GM makes their own through the D-Max division that they begun through an alliance with Isuzu Motors.

    Now we finally have 15 ppm, sulfur diesel fuel--max in our fuel supply, but the rules get very tough to coincide with the fuel that will allow for much cleaner machines. PM and NOx must be reduced 90% in four years. Even so, Cummins has announced they will build two engines for Dodge, half-ton trucks; GM has announced a 4.9 V8 for the Chevy 1500; and Ford will use its 4.4 V8 developed from the Land Rover for their F150. All of this should happen by 2010.

    Building a diesel for a low-end car at a profit, however, will prove difficult. This is due to all the high-tech equipment that must be applied to get them to reduce NOx, 90% in just four years.
     
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  3. By DC Posted: 2/23/2007 11:01pm PST

    So much for ever parking a blue oval in my driveway. My old TDI VW Jetta regularly gets 50 mpg on the highway, starts on the first try, and doesnt stink/rattle/clunk. It makes no sense why Detroit keeps pushing big steel when were set up for another 1970's fuel crisis. Toyota and Honda have already beaten once, they will do it again, for good this time.
     
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  4. By Gregory Schmitz Posted: 3/2/2007 9:28pm PST

    VW has sold diesel autos here for a long time. Since the huge improvements in clean running, easy to start PD engines (and soon to come common rail injection) they have sold very well.

    So, what does it mean you can’t do it successfully? Ford certainly does it in Europe, along with VW and Peugeot, the top sellers (i.e. top performing diesel engines).

    Ford has the built in infrastructure from Europe to do it, they don’t have to design anything from scratch, they have the engine already that can do it without any upsizing in the car segment.

    Its that lame kind of thinking that has Ford in the mess its in. Or to take an apt comment from a commercial of years gone by, If you can’t lead, then get out of the way.

    Bring on the diesel Fusion and Ford 500!

    And by the way, when I saw what the price of fuel was doing, I priced a Pickup with a diesel, I could not afford it, and the economy increase was not that great. I drove the VW diesels (Jetta and Passat), talked it over with my wife, we agreed we could live with the downsize from the Ford Bronco, and be bought the Passat Wagon. Between the down size and the diesel, I get 4x the mileage we did with the Bronco. I have only had one non Ford in my life, and I would have bought a Fusion or 500 diesel, they did not have it, and they have lost me, probably forever.

    You set the world on fire by being bold and a leader, Ford is currently nothing more than a I do this to company, no fire, no inspiration, no leading, just follow the trend, which means they are always behind the curve.
     
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  5. By DUCKRACER Posted: 1/16/2008 8:27pm PST

    Yeah, I own a '04 Ford F-250 4X4 crew cab, long bed. I had the full Banks mods installed. Runs like a ROCKET. I can get an honest 18mpg on the freeway. If Ford had offered a diesel F-150, I would have got one. I only use it for hauling my race bike, so a diesel F-150 would give me a smoother ride and better mileage. I will probably buy an F-1150 in about 2 years.

    Ford is taking a HUGE risk not going diesel. I readwhere they announced a few days ago that they are introducing EcoBoost, which is basically putting turbo chargers with direct (gasoline) injection 4 and 6 cyl motors. Their big selling point is that, compared to a regularly aspirated motor, a diesel will take something like 3? years to recoup the extra cost of a diesel and 7? years to recoup the cost of a hybrid, but only 30 months with EcoBoost.
    They may have a point. In California where I live, diesel costs more than premium gas sometimes.
    Web search "ecoBoost" and see what I mean.
    Only time will tell...
     
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  6. ma_PAramedic avatar PAramedic Posted: 6/13/2009 10:23am PDT

    Own a 2001 VW Golf TDI and love it. Easy starting, no black smoke and great fuel mileage. Would love to buy American, but can't justify buying a FORD that gets no better gas mileage than my Escort I bought fifteen years ago. Wake up Ford, you can help America realize the economy of Bio-Diesel. Much greener than E-85. Keep building the big SUV's and Diesel pick-ups and Ford will be following Chrysler and GM down the road to bankruptcy. VW doesn't build all the big SUVs and pickups and they are getting more and more of the American market. Glad to see Ford finally building a true, economical hybrid, but you could offer a choice of fuel efficient, low carbon vehicles; both Diesel and Hybrid. Hybrid doesn't work for me because I travel 200 miles a day on the highway so I do not realize the energy recovery or economy of a Hybrid. Give me a Diesel powered hatchback that gets 50 mpg, and I will buy it tomorrow.
     
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