Next year, General Motors will release one of its first diesel-powered passenger cars to the U.S. in decades. The 2013 Cruze Diesel will bring high torque and high fuel economy but it will also bring some common misconceptions about glowplug-powered vehicles. The American public are not as familiar with these types of cars and trucks the way Europeans are and for the most part, the other type of fuel is reserved for smoke-spitting industrial machines over here in the states. In order to educate some members of the public about the benefits of diesel-powered passenger cars, Chevrolet has set about to debunk some often held myths.
One big one is cleanliness. Diesels of the past were, for the most part, dirty but with today’s technology, that has changed. Emissions scrubbing features within the Cruze’s exhaust system has lowered its C02 output to that of a low-emissions, gasoline car. Another myth is the fuel’s availability in the U.S., which in reality, is not that low. According to GM, about half of American filling stations carry diesel and with the expected surge of sales, that number will more than likely shoot up. With advanced fuel systems and more robust glow plugs, vehicles like the Cruze Diesel can now start just as easy in cold weather compared to a conventional model. Two other myths, diesel rattle and diesel shake, can also be put to rest as pilot and common-rail injection have basically relinquished those two traits from the diesel’s repertoire.
“Consumers realize that today’s diesel cars are cleaner, less noisy and faster than they used to be, and have a relatively lower cost of entry than some hybrids and EVs,” said Michael Omotoso, powertrain analyst, LMC Automotive.
Source: Chevrolet
