You know how it is. You step out of the office for a transcontinetal journey to prove the worth of diesel propulsion to a skeptical– not to say distracted, disinterested and dismissive– nation and bang! The whole oil burner thing blows up in your face. Well, not literally. That would be WAY too exciting. No, I mean the major diesel story lies elsewhere. This time it’s Toyota, who’ve announced that they’re NOT going to build a diesel-powered Tundra. Automotive News [sub] reports that ToMoCo NA Prez Jim Lentz confirmed that the development of a diesel-engine variant of the Tundra has been deep-sixed. While a diesel option has “not been canceled outright,” it’s been cancelled forthwith. (See how that works?) AN says “That’s a big step back from Toyota telling dealers at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention last year that a diesel would arrive by 2010 or 2011.”
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Bummer. Now who’s going to eat away at all of those Duramax, Powerstroke, and Cummins sales?
“distracted, disinterested, and dismissive…” It’s a really nice alliteration, but I think you mean “uninterested”.
Good story, though. This stunt could have been valuable a couple of years ago.
I hereby announce that I will not be putting a diesel engines in my vehicles forthwith.
baabthesaab :
Point taken. Text amended to “disengaged.”
Damn.
I hope SOMETHING arrives on our shores as a nice option to the VW Jetta TDI. I love my TDI, I just don’t get much joy out of a 4 door sedan. Is a fun little oil-burning commute car too much to ask?
If you look beyond hairy-chested trucks, there is literally NO choice in this market. While I see plenty of morons commuting in a truck I’m not ever going to join that crowd. 45 MPG is as low as I’ll ever go.
Perhaps I’ll get a grey market toy from the EU… Alfa Spider JTDM maybe? TT TDI?
Maybe I’ll Frankenstein a TDI motor into a Miata, or an Elise.
–chuck
Chuck
I suppose this means Toyota isn’t going to attempt the HD market just yet.