Why you can't buy a high mpg car....

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

It's quite a bit more complex than that article's argument.

Ding ding ding! The video that sparked the article linked in the original post came up on another forum I frequent about a month ago. I went looking for more informed views on the topic and found analyses by Scientific American and Popular Mechanics. Here's another informative piece on the federal gasoline tax and where those funds go, from Car and Driver last year. It's interesting to note that the federal rate has remained stagnant for 19 years, and that diesel fuel is taxed at a higher rate than gasoline. If this was simply all about revenue, one would think the tax rate would have been raised to at least keep up with inflation.

Also, remember: Volkswagen market researchers and, ultimately, executives decide which models come to America and which stay in Europe, not secret government conspirators. Does no one remember the hand-wringing over the latest Passat redesign--when those executives decided that the US would get a different car than the Passat sold in Europe, specifically because they wanted to meet a lower price point here and increase sales volume? I'm not able to find any information about where the 1.6L diesel is built, but I doubt it's in VW's Tennessee plant (currently their only US plant)--which, again, is there to build vehicles solely for the US market. If anyone has further information, I'd love to see it.

[MPGranger]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

To get a truck or van with a diesel in the U.S. now they all have to have a rube goldberg machine based exhaust scrubber.

Mazda skyactivD engine. Diesel 2.2L I4 with a 14:1 compression and a twin turbo. No exhaust madness, part of their FE claims is that they dropped weight by not needing them. It would be possible to get past without urea injectors, but the juice might not be worth the squeeze quite yet for the corporations.

[UltArc]

I appreciate the back up on the imperial vs US. It really changes the strength of the article.

Plus, who here knows the exact standard that the US uses to figure fuel economy? And who knows the used over seas version for this?

And all in all, that seems right. The cost of the diesel engines, maintenance, and so forth. Just not worth it. I got my Mustang because of the price verse a Fusion, Focus, or Fiesta. All Fushions, most Foci, and many Fiesta cost more. Drop a complex diesel on a Fiesta. Yea, is the price worth it?

You might be able to just import it. Not worth it in my honest opinion, but still.

[oil pan 4]

What year is that mazda?
14:1 will reduce NOx quite a bit.

[Grant-53]

Soot usually means unburned fuel. Depending on availability and cost, trains and road fleets are using natural gas in diesel engines. Corning Inc. is doing a great deal of work on emissions reduction for diesel engines. There are regulations for vehicles sold here and some make more sense than others. There are marketing decisions made as to what vehicles are sold in a given market. Why people buy SUVs and never drive off road has more to do with image than substance. Currently we are afraid that our vehicles are not massive enough to protect us in a crash. Diesels are fine for trucks and German cars but are "too slow" to support the American self image. The GM conversion 350 diesel cars didn't help either. Govenment ineptitude is more common than conspiracy, though the results may be similar. Despite all the ignorance and paranoia in the media, we still can build and own cars that can get 75 mpg or more if we put in the effort. Most of that comes from good aerodynamics and sensible driving. Much of the technology was developed in the 1980s after the oil embargo of 1973.

[RiceCake]

Why you can't buy a high MPG car...


...There's no market for these cars here. No matter what you say, nobody wants to buy a tiny, low power diesel car when the North American standard is still "mah pickup taruck~". Finding a tiny loophole that allows you to blame the government is highly ignorant.


If there was more demand there would be more cars, and likely more cars built to US standards, or standards would be amended to compensate for small cars. As it stands right now, the efficiency laws are incredibly tight to reduce emissions on high-traffic fleet diesels and to force new technology before diesels take off and emissions become an issue.

[suspectnumber961]

At 12 K miles per year...I save $227 per year on gas with an 03 Focus vs your Mustang.

A quick look at this page...

Hassle-Free Car Buying Experience from Local Dealers - TrueCar

...shows the Mustang cost at around 4K more than the Focus.

I'd rather drive a Mustang than a Focus...but it costs more?

A Golf TDI costs about the same as your Mustang?

Originally Posted by UltArc

I got my Mustang because of the price verse a Fusion, Focus, or Fiesta. All Fushions, most Foci, and many Fiesta cost more. Drop a complex diesel on a Fiesta. Yea, is the price worth it?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by RiceCake

...nobody wants to buy a tiny, low power diesel car...

I think you can even forget about the tiny and low power parts. There is still a lot of prejudice (which I share) against diesel cars here, because they are seen as noisy, stinky, and dirty.

The reason diesels sell in US pickup trucks is that the people who buy them are mostly the sort of jerks who LIKE being noisy, stinky, and dirty, as witness the aftermarker mods that let them blow out clouds of diesel smoke.

[Grant-53]

Aside from macho truck enthusiasts the market for diesel light trucks is in farming and construction. These folks are professional buyers who have to carefully count annual operating costs. Well maintained equipment doesn't waste fuel and it is rare these days to see smoking equipment on a job site.
Longer term we will likely see more biodiesel vehicles outside the urban areas. The urban scene will see more CNG fleets with energy recovery systems and light electric vehicles. Can hardly wait for NYS to legalize electric bicycles.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by Neen

Almost everytime someone says that the government is not allowing a car into the states...there's a piece of the story missing. Kei cars are not imported because we have a nanny government that seeks to impose laws to protect the stupid among us. There are no current Kei cars that would pass these tests.

Fixed that for you.