Return Of The Cadillac Diesel?
Those of you who remember the eighties may have bad memories of the words 'Cadillac' and 'diesel'… Especially if they are used in the same sentence. In 1978, a diesel V8 based on the Chevy small-block was introduced with 105 horsepower and 205 pound-feet of torque. Sadly, huge reliability problems destroyed American consumers' trust for this type of fuel, and there are still people who won’t touch a GM product equipped with an internal combustion engine lacking spark plugs.
Cadillac seems ready to get back into the diesel market; 30 years after their failure, Cadillac wants to follow Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s example by offering this type of engine in their cars. As of yet, there are no technical specs available, but Cadillac says they are working on four and six-cylinder engines (the later could be either a V6 or an inline-6). According to Cadillac’s Chief Engineer Dave Leone, each powerplant will be fine-tuned for the model in which it will be installed. These diesel engines will obviously be for Europe, but rumour states that they could eventually be offered here.
Cadillac may also be working on 3-cylinder mills to help boost their lineup’s fuel economy.