Chevrolet Announces Diesel Cruze, First US-Bound Diesel Vehicle In 27 Years

Earlier today at the Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet unveiled the first diesel car to grace the roads in the United States since 1986. The 2.0 Turbo Diesel Cruze is slated to compete with Volkswagen's Jetta, and has a starting price of $25,695. The Cruze's diesel engine runs clean, and the car is currently estimated to get around 42mpg.

The Chevrolet Cruze diesel features a 148 horsepower diesel engine, a 15 gallon fuel tank, and is said to accelerate from 0-to-60mph in 8.6 seconds. Although the current fuel estimate places the car at 42mpg, General Motors says that the car is still being tested for its final mileage rating. The Cruze has up to a 10 second turbo boost.

General Motor's small cars chief engineer Gary Altman said about the upcoming compact car: "Cruze turbo diesel is the cleanest operating diesel engine ever produced by General Motors. We leveraged our global engineering expertise to take a great diesel engine from Europe and improve it to meet the stringent U.S. standards."

Earlier today, we reported that Chevrolet's low-cost Spark vehicle is the most popular Chevrolet vehicle among female buyers and those under the age of 35. One of the biggest selling points is it excellent fuel efficiency, one of the diesel Cruze's main selling points. The difference with the Cruze is that diesel costs more than gas, so only time will tell if drivers take to it.

[via USA Today]