Report: Chrysler may be adding diesel option to 300 sedan, 200 diesel is under consideration

WardsAuto reports that Chrysler may be adding another diesel option to their lineup. The potential next model is said to be the 300 flagship sedan, which could receive the same 3.0L CRD turbodiesel V6 seeing duty in the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and soon-to-be, Wrangler, and even the Ram 1500. The Chrysler 300 technically already receives a diesel engine in Europe, under the Lancia Thema moniker.

“I think that we are in talks about the diesels because the Thema has a diesel in Europe anyway,” Chrysler’s brand president and CEO Saad Chehab told WardsAuto. “It’s a matter of how much the customer is willing to pay for that premium. That’s the only issue with it.”

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And it’s interesting to see that Chrysler is having the diesel models command a higher premium. That’s because diesel passenger cars tend to have a lower starting price point than their gasoline siblings. It should be like that here. But it isn’t the case, even with Chrysler’s newest diesel, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD, which demands a $7,500 premium over the base model.

Could it be that our diesels require more expensive emissions requirements (highly doubt that when Europe’s emissions standards are equally getting as strict)? I still don’t understand why diesels are requiring premiums when both diesel fuel is a byproduct of oil refinement and is cheaper to produce. It should be cheaper to sell too. Ugh, but this is an argument for another day…

Anyway, getting back on form, Chehab was also able to share that Chrysler is even considering the idea of putting a diesel engine in the up and coming and supposedly all-new 2014 Chrysler 200 entry level sedan.

“It could be an amazing engine in there [the Chrysler 200], too,” Chehab was quoted for saying. “We have the opportunity to do it anytime.”

Why wouldn’t they?

– By: Chris Chin

Source: WardsAuto