In order to make it as a global luxury brand Cadillac needs to offer diesel engines, even in the United States. That will happen, CEO Johan de Nysschen says, but not too soon.
The executive said Cadillac will launch diesel-powered models in the US early in the next decade. Cadillac’s boss announced that the automaker is currently developing four- and six-cylinder diesel engines that will debut in 2019 in Europe, a big market for premium diesel-powered cars.
“We will definitely bring them to the U.S.,” de Nysschen was quoted as saying by Automotive News at a press event in the United States. However, he didn’t say which Cadillac models will get the diesel engines. German luxury automakers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer diesel units on almost all their models.
Cadillac’s history with diesel engines is not fortunate. The American luxury brand sold several models in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the Oldsmobile-sourced 5.7-liter V8 diesel that suffered quality problems. More recently, the automaker offered a Fiat-sourced 1.9-liter turbodiesel in the Cadillac BLS sold in Europe. Essentially a rebadged Saab 9-3, the BLS was sold in Europe (it never made it to the US) between 2007 and 2009, where it was a major sales flop. Cadillac currently does not offer a diesel-powered model in Europe.
Note: Cadillac BLS sedan pictured
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