General Motors is still not convinced that putting a diesel engine under the hood of their Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra is the right thing to do, in spite of the fact that Ram’s 1500 can already be ordered with one, while the Nissan Titan will be receiving its own too, a US-built five-liter V8.

This and more was revealed in a recent Autoguide report that made the GM’s intentions a little more clear. Arguing against the necessity of offering diesel-powered trucks in the half-ton segment, the company says consumers are not interested in buying diesel, because of the increased purchase cost, as well as the higher price of the fuel itself, and the more limited availability. This last one we included because Audi seems to think that it is a genuine fear among diesel buyers in the US.

The final piece of useful information put forth by the report reminds us that GM still owns “a big piece” of Italian engine manufacturer VM Motori, the ones that make the three-liter unit powering the Ram 1500, and they still have access to the engine. In fact, they themselves commissioned the exact same unit some years back. This means that if they see a positive reaction from the market, production of their own US-bound diesels can start at a moment’s notice.

By Andrei Nedelea

Ed. Note: A previous version of this article erroneously stated that the diesel engines concerned the next Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon when the original report was referring to the Silverado and Sierra

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