Reuss: VW Diesel Crisis Will Not Hinder General Motors’ Plans
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Only if you’ve been in a coma for the past two months or so would make you unaware of the Volkswagen AG emissions scandal that has affected acclaimed brands such as Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. It has resulted in the resignation of a CEO and several other executive officers, and the German company now stares down the barrel of billions of dollars in fines. All from utilizing a cheat software that allows diesel engine-powered vehicles to pass emissions testing — while actually piping out multiple times the legal limits in Europe, the United States, and other territories.
In short, Volkswagen’s reputation has been marred. But so has the diesel engine itself — something that virtually every automaker has.
So, what does it mean for General Motors? A company that just launched a 2.8L diesel engine in its midsize 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and 2016 GMC Canyon pickups, and what could come next?
In short, nothing.
“You’ll see some diesels, some really good ones,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, during a roundtable interview at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
The 2016 Colorado diesel and 2016 Canyon diesel both passed EPA testing with flying colors under heightened scrutiny in lieu of the VW emissions scandal, returning 31 miles per gallon on the highway — the best of any truck on the market in any segment. As it stands, the fuel economy figures didn’t require any number fudging or system gaming. In fact, the diesel twin trucks represent the cleanest diesel trucks GM has ever produced. However, over in Europe, Opel-Vauxhall seem to be stuck in an evolving emissions allegation with the late-model Zafira with a diesel. There’s a lot of finger-pointing right now, so we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out.
Coming soon with be an all-new Chevrolet Cruze diesel, which was announced during the unveiling of the 2016 Cruze, which goes on sale next year. We also know that Cadillac has some diesel engines in the pipeline farther down the road. Beyond that, we’re left reading into our crystal ball and tea leaves to predict what’s next. Perhaps it’s a GMC SUV of sorts. As we like to say here at GM Authority, time will tell.
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While it’s necessary for General Motors to build diesel powered cars for now.. their long term objective should be ‘diesel fuel cell’ cars; you pump diesel fuel which gets converted into electricity with the exhaust being just water vapor.
I understand hydrogen fuel cells but could you please explain where the carbon in the diesel fuel goes in a diesel fuel cell?