>GM Rumored to be Interested in Light-Duty Diesel Again, Good Idea?

Diesel fans will likely recall General Motors' light-duty Duramax diesel engine, a 4.5-liter V-8 that was originally destined for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickup truck line. While the engine's developmental work has been completed, it was shelved early last year during GM's preparation for bankruptcy proceedings and the ongoing recession. With truck sales on the rebound, the General is rumored to be interested in putting the baby Duramax to work, and not just in the light-duty truck lineup.

According to PickupTrucks.com's sources, certain powers at GM are keen to revive the in-house-designed Duramax, designated LMK, especially since its ready for implementation. With stringent fuel economy and emissions standards ever under state and federal microscopes, a well-developed diesel powerplant could provide an edge in fleet averages, with the performance to boot. First planned for the half-ton, or 1500, truck lineup, GM's truck team is also reputedly interested in sticking the 4.5-liter turbo-diesel V-8 into the three-quarter-ton Silverado and Sierra as well. The question is, of course, would it sell?

"[The 4.5-liter Duramax] would have launched [with power ratings] about where the Duramax was in 2001 when it was introduced," said Gary Arvan, Duramax chief engineer.

The 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 puts out 300 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. Compare those figures to the current LML-series Duramax -- 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque -- and you can see how the diesel engine has advanced in close to ten years. Hauling and towing performance would be slightly different but the smaller-displacement V-8 would help achieve more miles per gallon, reportedly somewhere in the range of 25-percent better versus a comparable gasoline engine.

"The 4.5-liter V-8 is fully developed and ready," said Mark Cieslak, GM's full-size truck chief engineer. "[If we decided to offer it] we could launch it in a heartbeat."

Price-wise, there's no doubt the LMK-series Duramax would command a premium over a conventional V-8 engine. However, it would also likely cost less than the top-level 6.6-liter V-8.

What do you think? Should GM sweep the dust off its 4.5-liter Duramax V-8 and put it into production? And should the baby Duramax come in a light-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, or both?

Source: PickupTrucks.com