support GM diesels
I have purchased 13 diesel cars since 1975 (only one used) which includes 6 Mercedes, one Oldsmobile and 6 VW Jetta TDIs and I have found that my 14th purchase, a 2019 Chevy Cruze diesel sedan far and away has the most refined and fuel efficient engine, achieving 56 mpg at 68mph, hand calculated when it wasnt even broken in. In addition, I was happy to be able to support the thousands of my fellow Americans who work at the Lordstown, Ohio factory making this vehicle who are about to lose there jobs. The generation 1 Cruze diesel has held up well (2014, 2015), and the engine in the current Cruze vehicle is a proven design, having been used in European vehicles for several years, however, time will tell how this vehicle, with its fully U. S. compliant emissions system, holds up over time; my 2005.5 VW Jetta TDI has 523,000 miles albeit with a much less complicated emissions system, with the original drivetrain except for the flywheel and camshaft. I am very fond of VW diesels but I felt this was the time to move on instead of looking backward to purchase an older VW TDI that are being offered for re- purchase, since, among other factors, some of the latest safety features available on the Cruze are not on the older VWs. VW, with their widespread and deliberate cheating on emissions did more harm to the reputation of the diesel engine than GM ever did 40 years ago. Sales of diesels in its European stronghold are down about 30% in some countries with diesel fuel taxes being increased and some cities threatening to ban diesels from their city centers and all diesel vehicles there are subjected to increased scrutiny; these developments threaten the massive investments in diesel engine technology that the leading European advocates for the diesel have made. The proper redemption for VW in my opinion, would have been to develop and sell in the U.S. diesel vehicles that are fully compliant with our current emission standards (I assume they are capable of this) and this could include pure diesels and diesel hybrids. Instead, they are investing billions in EVs and charging infrastructure in the U.S. for vehicles the public may never fully accept, with the currently available battery technology and without the massive federal subsidies available at present. In addition, GM cant be faulted for charging extra for the diesel Cruze compared to its gasoline counterpart- I have noted that the gas VW Jetta can be had for about $17,000, made with cheap Mexican labor south of the border- I presume a modern diesel variant would be thousands more. VW diesels have been good to me and I wish both VW and especially GM success in their future endeavors.