Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Struggles To Catch On In America
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The Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is arguably the Michael Beasley of small cars. The NBA forward entered the 2008 draft with potential; however, his performance as a professional player has been what many might refer to as a letdown.
WardsAuto reports that the award-winning Cruze Diesel is failing to live up to its initial hype as well, accounting for a mere two percent of Cruze sales. This is a far cry from the 10 percent target the company had hoped for when launching the model. With less than 6,000 Cruze 2.0TD units sold since its introduction, the model trails its biggest competitor, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, by nearly 40,000 units over the same time period.
Despite less than stellar sales, General Motors does not appear to be giving up on oil burners anytime soon. Next year, GM will introduce Diesel power to its new midsize pickup trucks, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and 2015 GMC Canyon, and Wards reports that the all-new Cruze will likely continue to offer U.S. customers a diesel option.
While the Cruze Diesel may not be hitting the sales targets Chevrolet had hoped for, the car seems to be doing its job of attracting new customers into the its dealerships. And for GM, that’s enough to keep the model off of the chopping block.
“Many of our Cruze diesel customers have not shopped us before,” Chevrolet assistant marketing manager — sedans and crossovers, Rick Kwiecien, told Wards. “Customers are cross-shopping the Cruze diesel with the competition and discovering the Chevy advantages of performance, fuel economy, and interior refinement.”
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We’ve sold every one we could get. Perhaps they should look at the number that was allowed into North America; especially Canada since we could only get them one or two at a time.
I think they should push this model a little more. Dealers order more and Chevy advertise it more. I say this because all of them to show up here have sold rather quickly not lingering on the lot it seems for more than a week or so maybe two at most then they’re gone. I’m glad to see them do this model and think in time it will catch on. I liken their results to the Buick Regal dilemma, when they advertise the thing it moves more it seems.
If they’re not available then no one can buy them. Jetta’s sit on the lot and are available to be touched and driven.
Maybe they should offer this engine in the impala limited. In a taxi the return on investment would be better.
GM traditionally prices vehicles way too high and then they don’t sell to expectations. It might be competitively priced on paper to a VW diesel but the real life competitor is other Cruze models. What’s the premium for the diesel model versus a normal Cruze? Does that make sense to a potential customer? Those are the more important factors
Elroy, here in Canada, a 2LT with heated leather, sunroof, back up camera, remote start, Onstar, RemoteLink App, Mylink, etc has an MSRP of $26,450. The same with the diesel is just over $30,000. So the consumer is looking at about $3500 -4000 for the diesel.
I can’t speak for the rest of North America, but in Canada the price of diesel at the pumps has been anywhere from 5 cents to 20 cents per litre more than regular gasoline for months. It’s only been the last month or so where they have once again equalized in price. When diesel prices are higher than gas, add in the premium for the diesel engine and people who are new to the diesel world and would consider a diesel are choosing gas. The ones who have been in the small car diesel world in the past (VW customers) are still buying diesels and it is very difficult to break the cult-like following the TDI from VW has.
Give the Cruze diesel a couple more years and a lot more availability on dealer lots and we will see the sales grow significantly.
After I got my 2013 Passat TDi, a neighbor who works for GM said that they had a TD model of the cruze. I kinda stand there and said, ok, but how much does GM mark it up? End of discussion about that. But got me to thinking as I didn’t do the comparison when I got my TDi. I priced out a V6 passat to my trim level (SEL Premium). My TDi was 600.00 less then the gas version. Then, while at the local Jeep dealer getting an oil change, looked at Grand C with the ECO diesel. 4000.00 tacked on the to the price. SO, how the he11 can GM and FCA take on the SAME cost for a TD when VW doesn’t charge near that? I’ll tell you why GM isn’t selling them. 1. They seem ashamed they offer it. 2. They don’t market it. 3. They are targeting the wrong car, VW Jetta, really ? 2 ends of the spectrum there. 3. GM’s rep on diesels. Not the best to say the least so a first year TD in a small car. Going to take them a couple years PLUS to gain some ground. Now I’ve not owned a GM product since 84. Owned 2 Jettas in my years, Passat is almost 3 years old, Chrysler minivan and 2 Jeeps. I’m not being critical or bias. I’m the consumer to do not see a cruze worth 30k when I can get a TDi Passat for about the same and it’s a car built in America by Americans with a lot of American parts. GM needs to give this car some more time and after VW’s last little (yeah, to me it is), bump over it’s lying about the emissions, the cruze is about as appealing as a root canal. Now if they bring the cost down to a realistic ratio for the car and market, put the engine in the Malibu or impala , I might stop in a at least look at it.
I watch a lot of TV. I mean I watch a LOT of TV. From the main networks to cable and satellite-only stations, primarily on week nights and weekends and I haven’t seen a single TV commercial focused specifically on the diesel powered Cruze. When and where has GM been advertising the diesel? at 1 pm on weekdays on one of the shopping channels?
GM marketing department ruining a great thing, once again.
I bought one of these almost a year ago. It has been an enormously satisfying experience. I was coming from a life of big cars and trucks with V8 power. This thing has saved me a ton in operating expenses and returned a joy of driving that I haven’t known since I was a teenager. Furthermore, I’m in Canada and it started every time through the bitter winter we just finished.
just built identical 2lt and diesel on the gm.ca site, difference of $1700
enjoy the pos chevy trans on the 2lt.
also, do not compare rug and diesel, the vast majority of cruze gassers are using higher grade fuel.
and yay for me, diesel on my commute is cheaper than mid grade gas.
Thanks for your honesty.
I feared this would happen.
This is just a hard sell to the average general public.
Here are the factors that hurt.
#1 The added cost of a Diesel to buy. Even if you gut the car the engine cost more.
#2 The price of Diesel.
#3 The fact North Americans are not in love with Diesels outside of trucks.
#4 The Core of the Diesel market is made up of Cult Euro car buyers.
#5 GM is still living down the Olds Diesel legacy.
Now don’t get me wrong I am all for this engine but it is tough to sell and GM could have done a better job selling it. Hell they could have done a better job with the Volt too. Right now GM marketing is lacking in many areas and this is one of them. The fact is the Cruze Diesel is not a car you can build and just expect the buyers to show up.
For this car to be successful it would not have to be in great numbers in sales as I suspect it would never be more than 10% of the Cruze sales. But to even reach that level they need to do better Marketing.
This is a car till you get butts in the seat few understand or care about the car and if GM wants to sell this they need to change this.
# 6: no manual trans – thrifty diesel drivers know how to drive – interesting GM didn’t know this.
# 7. : $25k buys a real car from a legitimate manufacuturer elsewhere. GM thinks they can sell an Opel engined Daewoo for more than a Volkswagen.
There’s Magirus spouting off again proving he knows nothing. Opel did not design or build the diesel in the Cruze. It is a VM Motori Italian engine that was designed when GM owned half of the company before selling it entirely to Fiat.
VM Motori. My bad. The only engine manufacturer below Opel standards. It’s Daewoo built. I see other cars share the engine – Hyundai and Opel. Help me find the Toyota, Honda, BMW, or Mercedes that run the thing.
The point still is that anyone doing their homework would be silly to choose a Cruze Diesel over a Jetta TDI.
Scott:
1. Mostly American car makers mark up the price beyond the real cost.
2. I love it when people say this. So , my car can go 900+ miles, on the highway with my 18.5 gal tank. I’ve clocked a normal low 40’s city (stop and go) and high 50’s highway and that’s not driving like granny.
3. Agree (but look at nr 4) RIght now, mid grade is the same as Diesel around here. The price of diesel would have to be twice the price of gas (reg unleaded) to call it even. So, you played into the mind games of seeing numbers 20 or 30 cents more per gal. Just remember, while your lucky to get 30+ mpg from your gas burner, I’m pushing 60.
4. WRONG. I have a 2013 Passat TDi SEL. I went with VW because they have been sticking diesels in VW’s since the mid 70’s. So, other then knowing how to lie about emissions ;-), they know a little something about diesels. The part your are way way off is I own 2 jeeps and 1 chrysler minivan. If I belong to a cult, it’s the jeep crowd. Besides I like having a car who’s engine will last for a few hundred thousands miles vs half that.
5. I totally agree but GM has way more issues from the 80’s then just the diesel. That’s why I’ve not owned one since the mid 80’s. I know, Chrysler isn’t much better but at least I’m not treated like an idiot at the service departments like GM was famous for back in the 80’s.
JMO of course..
I’m not sure that GM understands that Marketing is a discipline like Engineering. How many of the Brand Managers and other top Marketing personnel actually have a degree in Marketing?
You hit the nail on the head.
Marketing is a big problem at GM right now. It is all over the place and not very on message on any product. They start one program and then bail and start another in 6 months. It is not like where they used like a rock for years and kept on target of how to sell something to a customer.
The Cruze diesel is a tough sell no matter how they package it.
1 Unless it is a truck Americans have little interest in Diesels.
2 If it is a GM Diesel in a car people have long memories.
3 This is the car that answers a question the market has not yet asked.
Lets face it few people want this car or even understand much about it. This is a car they really have to sell to the public as it will not sell itself till you get them to drive it.
You can add a manual, gut the options or even change the model and few people are going to say I need that car. Diesel buyers are cult people that are mostly VW owners or German car buyers. They know ands understand the Diesel product. The German companies also can sell them here as the low volume is no issue since they sell so many in their home markets.
As for GM marketing brand managers. Yes they have degrees as you can not get to that point without one. The no degree days are long gone. That may be part of the problem as with many people I know who are in marketing often have no love, passion or understanding of the products they sell or the people they are selling it to.
I see this all the time in my own company and even my wife’s. At times I would want someone who knows and understands the product and really believes in it selling it before I would hire someone who just is doing a job.
But to be fair I know several of the brand managers at GM and not all are out in left field. To be honest they are ham strung with some of the old ways in middle management at GM that has not yet been addresses.
We all have heard of the damaged culture inside GM well it is still in tack in some parts and I feel parts of Marketing are still feeling the effects. In time I expect they will get it fixed but until then we may have some issues yet.
The sad part is I know one who loves performance and sporting natured cars and they have him marketing trucks. I feel it is a waste but I hope he serves his time and gets placed where he would do the most good.
One option package, one trim level, that’s it. Plug it into a Sonic hatch with a 6 speed. Why starve choice?
Bring back the GEO METRO.
As a Cruze diesel owner, with 5,000 miles on the odometer, I can’t say enough good things about this auto. We took it to Florida recently, and the mileage was fantastic. You get giddy when you see the mileage gauge telling you how many miles are left before a fill up.
What’s the hang up on sales?… No friggen adds, with happy customers like me, testifying how great this auto is.
My wife bought one of the last Pontiac G6 hardtop convertibles. To this day, when people see the top down, raising, or lowering, they run up to the car, ask what kind of car is it, and say that they had no idea General Motors made such a car.
The same fate awaits the Cruze diesel if they don’t advertise, and educate, potential buyers with ads.
If this auto doesn’t succeed, if won’t be the fault of the engineers who made it… It will be the total lack of information given by GM… Yet once again.
What was your mileage? How much does the tank hold? My Passat has a 18.5 gal tank. I don’t pay much attention to the car’s computer or MTE readout. The Avg consumption is pretty on target but the best I’ve gotten was 61, the worst was 38 and that was winter blend in Feb when I got the car. Now, it’s low 40’s city, high 50’s highway and that hwy driving is 80 w/3 adults. And it’s very very quiet. Even while it’s polluting the country side LOL.
I absolutely love my 2015 Eco Cruze Diesel and after owning the 2012 LT2 1.4l. The 2012 was traded in when it hit 97k miles and had started to leak oil. The gas mileage on it was 40 plus highway and low to high 30’s city. The Turbo seals had gone bad at or around 57k and the Transmission was horrible in passing gear situations.
When we purchased the Diesel at a cost of $26,450 and 11 miles on it , Diesel was 20 to 30 cents a gallon less then regular unleaded in California. The Diesel Cruze performance and Transmission made driving a pure Joy. The 13 gallons of fuel gave us an enitual range of of just under 680 miles and at best we got 63 Hwy and 52 City. We drove from LA to UpState New York in April of 2016 for just under $188.00. The car has 52k on it currently and has had only had one issue. The Emissions recalls for reprogramming on two separate occasions caused the heating element in the DEF tank to have a reduced power and had to be replaced.
I’ve had many looks and surprised faces when pulling up to the Diesel pumps at fuel stations or many people say Chevy makes that car in a Diesel? I’ve had a few pesky aren’t you glad you didn’t purchase a Volkswagen? The unique sound of the seemingly quite knocking of the Diesel engine when ever we pull in places and the attention it draws makes owning this car that much better. It’s performance and ability to fly down the Highway at 75mph and get 50 plus mpg while looking good at the same time is worth every nickel we spent.. I’m looking forward to our 2018 Eco Diesel Equinox when it arrives at our dealership this spring..