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Originally Posted by jamesqf
Dead wrong. Sure, manufacturers could build cars with much better fuel economy, and many people would buy them if left to themselves, as they did in the '70s and '80s. But (excepting a few like the Prius) manufacturers don't WANT to build cars that get good fuel economy. They would much rather build gas guzzlers, and spend billions on advertising to convince people to buy them.
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Why would the manufacturers build ineffecient cars just for the sake of building inefficient cars? If manufacturer A can make a car that gets 40 mpg and offer it at the same or a better price than manufacturer B whose car gets 30 mpg, all else being equal manufacturer A is going to sell more cars. Case in point is the Japanese automakers (Toyota, Honda, etc.) that came into the US market in the 70's & 80's. They made cars that got better mileage than the big 3 US automakers and sold their cars at a better price. It took some time and they had some other issues to take care of, but today look at how much market share those companies have gained. Or look at how well the Prius has done vs other hybrids. Other comanies have made hybrids, but the Prius is better than most in terms of FE and their sales are a reflection of that.
As far as increased cost goes, here's my point. Manufactures could make a car that gets unbelievable mileage by, for example, going with a small diesel engine with two-stage turbocharging (to meet the power demand). Of course, with that diesel comes an expensive 30,000psi+ fuel injection system and an aftertreatment system to meet modern emissions (which cost as much or more than the engine BTW). We'll put machined titanium compressor wheels in those turbos too so we can get more boost out of them. We'll go with an aluminum block and head(s) to reduce weight. We'll add a turbo compound and/or a waste heat recovery system to recover the exhaust heat energy. We'll polish all the intake and exhaust ports & manifolds and add a ceramic coating inside & out. We'll put in electrically driven cooling fans, coolant pump, & lube pump. Of course, it will be a hybrid with the latest, most power-dense batteries money can buy, accompanied by a regenerative braking system. We'll make all the frame and body out of aluminum and/or carbon fiber to reduce the weight. We'll spend gobs of money on engineering, CFD, and windtunnel testing to perfect the aerodynamics. We'll put high-efficiency LED in every light bumb on the vehicle. And, voila! We've just made you a 100+mpg mid-sized sedan...that will cost $100,000+.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
As for having to pay for things we don't want... Well, I don't want power windows, remote-control door locks, GPS units, "infotainment" systems that interface my car with a cell phone, or a number of other things that manufacturers add to cars without being forced to do so through regulation. But (unless government intervenes) it looks as though I'll be stuck with all of those, and with paying for them.
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I didn't want to pay for power windows, remote-control door locks, GPS units, or "infotainment" system--so I found a truck without them and bought it (fairly inexpensively too).