Cadillac News - President’s new ride may be diesel powered, but is it emissions legal?

January 16, 2009 by tsikot

President’s new ride may be diesel powered, but is it emissions legal?

Filed under: Diesel, Cadillac, Green Daily

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac Presidential Limousine

The other day, General Motors released the first official photos of the new presidential limousine that will enter service next week when Barack Obama is inaugurated. As the majority of presidential cars have been over the past century, this one is a Cadillac, but aside from grille and headlight shape, this one bears little resemblance to anything you can buy from your local dealer. It has been reported that most of the underpinnings of this limo are actually derived from some of GM’s heavy duty trucks.

Among the truck-derived greasy bits may be the engine. It’s been reported that the limo uses a 6.5L diesel V8 which got me thinking about whether it might be a Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant clean diesel. I contacted Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell who gave me the following response, “We’re just not permitted to discuss that at all — and in fact I don’t even know the engine aspects of the car. So it’s not the case that I’m just choosing not to tell you — I don’t know and would not be permitted to know.”

While GM obviously can’t comment on the specs of the car, I can certainly speculate. The president’s transportation is often handled by the armed forces, which powers most of its ground vehicles with diesels. This is done so that a common fuel can be used for both the ground vehicles and aircraft, simplifying the supply logistics in combat. Since the limos are transported to the places that president visits in military aircraft, It is probable that it has been designed to run on military fuel. But is it a clean diesel? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Gallery: 2009 Presidential Limousine