GM Vows More Diesel Models

Steve Kiefer, head of global powertrain for General Motors Co., tells attendees at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., that GM will expand its skimpy U.S. diesel lineup over the next several years "as appropriate and as the market accepts them."

GM currently offers a diesel option in only two models in the U.S. One is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 148-hp unit for the Chevrolet Cruze small sedan. It's the company's first diesel-powered U.S. car since the Chevrolet Chevette subcompact sedan went out of production in 1986.

The second diesel is a 6.6-liter V-8 oil burner rated at 397 hp. The unit is available in GM's heavy-duty fullsize Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.

GM will add a 2.8-liter 4-cylinder oil burner in the 2016 model year for the Colorado and Canyon. The 180-hp engine, which the company uses extensively outside the U.S., is expected to deliver about 200 hp.

Kiefer is vague about which cars and trucks will get a diesel and when it might happen. But he vows "many" diesel cars will join the GM lineup at some point. He suggests that diesels could grow to 10% of the American car and light-truck market by 2020.