Jeep Turbo-Diesel Set to Come Back to North America

Jeep has announced that the 2013 Grand Cherokee will, once again, get a turbo-diesel option for the North American market. No specifics were given about the size or power band of the coming engine, or whether it will work in other Jeep models down the road, but production is set for sometime next year.

The previous 3.0-liter V-6 turbo-diesel used in Europe was sourced from Mercedes-Benz, and other Jeep models used the Italian VM Mortori 2.8-liter inline-four-cylinder, but we would assume the new engine will be one of Fiat's many high-tech options.

Jeep is coming off an exceptionally good sales year (up almost 40 percent for 2011 with Grand Cherokee sales up 51 percent), and if any manufacturer could afford to experiment a little with new engine options, it would be Jeep. Add to that the continued desire to offer a , and it would make sense (in the name of spreading development costs) to make this same engine available in a Jeep truck as well.

More details to come.