It's hard not to take the bait.
I don't agree with the premise.
Free market demand doesn't call for high mpgs.
The media extoll the virtues of aspects of automotive 'performance' which has nothing to do with fuel economy.Consumers react to media sales campaigns.
Capitalism isn't understood.
Life-cycle-cost-analysis isn't understood
Profit isn't understood
Savings is discouraged
Thrift is marginalized
Critical thinking isn't valued.
Education isn't valued.
We have no 'culture' in the US
We have no rights of passage into adulthood.
What passes for an 'adult' is more a chronological event,rather than any mastery of life skills or wisdom.
With loose credit and low monthly payments,many consumers purchase mortgages for vehicles which easily exceed their needs.
They cannot differentiate between need and want.
Kinda like their homes.Furnishings.Apparel.Adornments.
Money is made at every level of the process.And those revenue streams are strongly guarded.
As a nation of law,we have rules and regulations.Any product which passes muster with US regulations is fair game for the market.
Since the consumer IS the apple of Madison Avenue's eye,they'd be eager to fill any niche left open in the market.
High fuel economy cars don't appear to be on their Richter scale.
Up-coming CAFE standards are pushing fuel economy,and it's mentioned more and more in advertizing.
I haven't been to Europe since 1997.I have no idea what its like their today.When I was there,I was underwhelmed by the number of high mpg vehicles on the roads of Germany,Austria,Hungary,Slovakia,Poland,Czech Republic,and the Netherlands.No visionary behavior to this set of eyes.
