Chrysler introducing diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee in North America

2 June 2006

A diesel version of the 2007 Jeep® Grand Cherokee with a 3.0 liter common-rail turbo diesel (CRD) engine will arrive at dealerships in the United States and Canada in the first quarter of 2007, announced Chrysler. The 3.0 liter CRD engine will be available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, Limited and Overland models. It will be the first diesel-powered, full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) to be offered in the North American market.

The new 3.0 liter CRD engine—to be built by Mercedes-Benz in Berlin—produces 215 hp (160 kW) @ 3800 rpm and 376 lb-ft (510 Nm) torque @ 1600-2800 rpm. The estimated fuel consumption is 12.4 l/100 km city and 9.4 l/100 km highway. The 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD offers a driving range of approximately 675 kilometers and a towing capacity of 3356 kilograms. The diesel technology improves fuel economy by up to 30% and has up to 20% fewer CO₂ emissions, said Chrysler.

Chrysler did not comment on the NO_x emission technology or emission certification level, but the vehicle will be offered in the US market only in the 45 states that have not adopted California emission standards. Therefore, it would be certified to emission limits higher than the Tier 2 Bin 5. (The California LEV II requirements are equivalent to the federal Tier 2 Bin 5, but the federal emission standards also allow to certify vehicles to more relaxed limits, Bin 6-8, and to even more relaxed temporary bins above 8 which expire after 2008). The long term strategy of DaimlerChrysler to achieve Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions is to use the urea-SCR technology, the compliance issues of which are still being negotiated between the manufacturers and the regulatory agencies. The 2007 Mercedes E320 diesel, to be launched in all 50 states, will employ the NO_x adsorber technology for NO_x reduction.

Chrysler Group was the first automotive manufacturer in the United States and Canada to offer a mid-size, diesel-powered SUV—the 2005 Jeep Liberty with a 2.8 liter CRD engine. More than 11,000 diesel powered Jeep Liberty vehicles have been sold since production began.

Source: DailmerChrysler (press release)