PSA Peugeot Citroën and Ford said today that the companies have decided to independently develop and manufacture their larger diesel engines displacing more than 2-liters starting in 2015. The announcement, likely the result of the PSA and General Motors JV announced in February, ends a 12-year business relationship.
Peugeot’s expertise in diesel engines as Europe’s second largest automaker was a major factor in helping Ford Europe recover from a disastrous management decision that ignored the rising penetration of diesel engines during the late nineties. Excellent fuel economy and favorable tax treatment in the EU started a trend in diesel engine use – as much as 40% or more in some segments, which continues to this day.
Production of the smaller 1.4-liter to 1.6-liter diesel engines will continue through the imposition of Euro 6 emissions legislation, which goes into effect in 2014. The decision will only initially affect commercial vehicles – Ford Transit – from mid-decade. In the U.S. Ford will build Transit commercial vans for the first time next year, supplementing the aging and rollover prone E-Series van. An unspecified diesel engine option will be available in both cargo and passenger versions of the Transit in the U.S.
In a separate action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday granted confidential treatment to General Motors for some sections of required SEC filings covering commercial or financial information about the PSA deal.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
