Chrysler Group may have found a hit with the light-duty diesel engines that it putting in its Ram full-size pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokee.The number of buyers opting for the 240-horsepower V-6 EcoDiesel is substantial enough that Chrysler is asking its Italian supplier, a Fiat subsidiary, to send more of the engines, Automotive News reports.
When the engines came out last year, it marked a return of the small-diesel option, which has strong towing capability and better fuel economy than a gas engine. Diesels have long been available in heavy-duty pickups. It’s a $2,850 option above the also optional Hemi V-8, and $4,500 beyond the price of the base engine, a gas V-6.
The engine delivers about 30% better gas mileage than a similar-sized gas engine.
The News says engine maker VM Motori has the capacity to make 100,000 diesels a year. Half of them could come to the U.S.
