Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
What irony? 
Manufacturers strive to make what customers will buy. Even though there are many models to choose from, each model still must have broad enough appeal to be worth the investment to build. Most of the time, fuel economy is not a top priority for customers. Mfgs also have to conform to govt regs., some of which influence fe. All manufacturers have known how to build 1L type vehicles for decades but evidently the business cases for making them hadn't been made.
That said, I do fault the mfgs for not being as pro-active re: fe as they could have been. |
This is very true. The comment that started this whole thread would be true if you added the caveats "without giving up performance, making the car less crashworthy, less comfortable, or having styling that many people think is fugly." Auto companies could do much better if the marketing focus groups and surveys were filled with hypermilers.