Toyoda diesel under test

rjstractor wrote:

PerrysburgDodgeboy wrote:
So how long before GM and Ford pulls their collective heads out of their backsides!

Maybe they are playing wait and see? Hard to tell how the Ram and Nissan trucks will do in the real world because nobody actually has one yet. I don't know about GM, but Ford has a 3.2 liter 5 cylinder diesel going into their Transit van for 2015. So at least the US emissions engineering is done for that motor.

But like others have said, what good does it do to get 8 mpg better when the fuel costs anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar more?

I still think the "diesel in a half ton truck" movement is being driven by the EPA CAFE regulations that require the manufacturers to include the light duty trucks in their "fleet" fuel economy calculations. A diesel engine allows them to boost fuel mileage without radically changing the truck structure (weight reduction) and its towing/payload capabilities. If a manufacturer can't improve the fuel economy of the light truck it sells (and remember, most half tons sold today are not used for work or towing on a regular basis)and meet CAFE standards, the only option they would have is to cease production, unless they come up with some incredible fuel "sipping" technology breakthrough. Ford is currently tackling the problem with their Ecoboost powertrain, the others are (Ram & Nissan) are attempting the diesel route. Only time and market activity will tell...................