Sweers: Diesel Power Not Coming To Toyota Tacoma
Hoping for diesel power in the new Toyota Tacoma? You can breathe now.
According to AutoGuide, Tacoma/Tundra engineering chief Mike Sweers said that diesel power won’t be coming to the Tacoma — despite the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon receiving theirs — due to the Environmental Protection Agency’s upcoming Tier 3 regulations, set to go into effect in 2017. The regs would greatly tighten emissions on diesel-powered light vehicles, making such vehicles more costly to build for automakers, if not consider in the first place:
Diesel, from a fuel economy standpoint, is about a 30 percent improvement right out of the box. The downside to diesel is the emissions has to be certified at the same level as a gas engine. So the way to do that is you have to put on an after-treatment system. So if we consider that cost, versus the fuel economy improvement, and the fact that diesel is $1 more per gallon more than gasoline, is there a return on the investment?
Even if the ROI from each after-treatment system installed — said to add $3,000 to the cost of a vehicle — was worth it now, Sweers warns it wouldn’t be by 2019, when even-tighter diesel-emissions regs would come into force. He says some diesels would be shelved as a result, automakers deciding those engines aren’t worth the headache.
Thus, the Tacoma will be avoiding the green pump handle, opting for either a gasoline-fueled 2.7-liter I4 or 3.5-liter V6 to provide power.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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From FCA/GM/Ford: Thanks Toyota for considering, its not like you build a serious contender anyway! Maybe the next century?
I'm more concerned with what the torque curve looks like on that 3.5L direct injected motor. IMO they should have just stuck in the 270hp variant of the 4.0L 1GRE V6 in there from the 4runner. The 22RE was probably considered old and underpowered in the early-mid 90s but it went on to earn a reputation as an unkillable motor. the 3.4L 5vzfe V6 in the 95-04 trucks was considered old hat by the early 2000s and it now is achieving a 'million mile motor' status in the Toyota 4x4 community. The current 4.0L V6 being phased out is also commonly referred to as outdated and behind the times, and I am certain that in 10 years it too will cement itself as yet another rock solid powerplant with legendary longevity. If anything, there is a fairly long history of Toyota sometimes screwing up diesels in their Land Cruisers and Hilux trucks, our latest emissions requirements would just add to the risk of releasing something less than stellar.
From our experience with the Hilux in Australia I think the Taco will go down the same route. Toyota will not lose many sales without the diesel. Another problem for Toyota is they don't have a diesel that's EuroVI or US EPA compliant. All other manufacturers in Australia have dropped the V6 in the midsizers and a few have keep the 4cyl gasoline engines in only the most basic sh!tters. The Hilux is still the biggest seller here, but this doesn't take into account the many "new" 4x4 twin cabs customers buying anything but a Toyota. As a percentage of our market Toyota is slipping quite a bit to the point where it will be challenged for it's dominance. This is a similar fate the "new" 2015 F-150 will encounter. Toyota doesn't have a diesel to offer. I would like to see what the next Hilux diesel will be. I'd bet it's based on a BMW diesel. If the Colorado Canyon are very successful and even sell 20%-25% of their midsizers as diesel you'll see the current US mid size manufactuers trying to get a piece of the action. Toyota is playing the Toyota card again. Offering little and charging a premium for nothing of real value other than the name Toyota. This will change as the Colorado Canyon outstrip the Taco in sales and Toyota will drop prices and add bling to make the pickup more attractive. But the Taco will still be one generation behind the Colorado Canyon.
@Lou, Here's where we are heading with internal combustion engines. These will be in use within a decade. The engines should be capable of a high 50's% for thermal efficiency. This link is in a Powerpoint presentation using a pdf? Easy to understand. I wonder why the government is wasting so much on EVs and Hybrids. http://www.sae.org/events/pfl/presentations/2009/BengtJohansson.pdf