Cadillac will continue developing diesel engines despite the Volkswagen scandal negatively impacting the diesel vehicle market.
“We pulled that trigger before the current dilemma,” Cadillac CEO Johan de Nysschen told this week at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. And he added: “If you have gone that far in a program, you might as well carry it through.”
Cadillac is working on four- and six-cylinder diesel engines designed to help the brand make inroads into the European market from 2020 onward. De Nysschen is optimistic about the prospects for the diesel engine, even though he acknowledges that “the reputation has no doubt suffered a bit.”
His decision mirrors the opinion of most other carmakers. BMW and Audi have recently said they will move forward with diesels, and the VW Group is eager to get its 2016 models EPA-certified and fit for sale. Land Rover has just started offering a diesel engine in the U.S. market, and Chevrolet has announced a diesel version of the Cruze.
Cadillac’s diesel engines will be made available to other General Motors brands, but they are “Cadillac engines and built to our brand’s standards,” says de Nysschen.