The U.S. produces diesel vehicles, other than big trucks?

That is pretty nuts. There's also a really nice model Ford builds in Europe which would be an ideal replacement for SUV's here...and was the 2007 European Car of the Year: Ford S-MAX minivan.

— t_bone (View Profile)

Posted on 6/7/2008 10:19:08 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

New York State Diesel Car Ban still in effect since 80s.

This has Anti-Trust written all over it. But the American people take it where the sun doesn’t shine.
It seems Big Oil owns the state senators, and the State Regulatory Laws.

Hillary talks about the energy crisis, but has done nothing in her own state to lift this Diesel Ban.
Where is the President Bush lately? On the golf course? The country is in an energy crisis, banking crisis, economic crisis and at war, and there is absolute silence from Washington. What happened to the good old days when a president was required to come on TV and face and answer to the people?

The big 3 should have been building and marketing Diesel Cars with manual gearboxes years ago.
It is interesting, that General Motors failed to sell their junk Diesel car in the 80s (junk engine), failed to capitalize on the Diesel market, and all of a sudden, no one was allowed to own a Diesel anymore because no one would play crybaby GM’s game. This is the same company that strong armed cities into scrapping their public transit networks. Cities sold off the railroad tracks as scrap iron to Japan. Rail was considered an “outdated idea”. Looks like GM cooked our goose for us, and the American people had no say in any of this, we just watched it happen before our eyes. Now there is no train to take to work at a time when Washington is telling the people to “get off oil”. I guess somehow it is the American people who are at fault for this mess. Go figure. There is simply a lack of leadership in Washington.

— mercuryguy (View Profile)

Posted on 6/7/2008 5:10:30 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The government has a “hands off” approach to the American Auto Industry. They believe “market forces” should shape the industry.

Yet the government mandates the CAFÉ standards for fuel efficiency.

The car makers cheat the system by building cheap cars with Nylon screws and bolts to reduce weight. The government looks the other way. Shouldn’t the CAFÉ standards provide sensible guidance on how to achieve these numbers? Ideas like 8-speed manual gearboxes, touring tires with less rolling resistance, 2-wheel drive and Diesel engines?

Most cars built today are fitted with ill-efficient
All-season tires and all-wheel drive because people want it, but more importantly because it reduces liability from accidents.

It is time to get back to sensible engineering and designs.

— mercuryguy (View Profile)

Posted on 6/7/2008 5:22:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!

The communists who run the US govt mandate all sorts of unbelievable, ridiculous emissions laws. That's why theres no diesel passenger cars here. If the emissions regulations were taken back to the 2006 levels, you could buy a Chevy1500 with a diesel V6 and get over 30mpg on the highway.

Blame the govt, theyre the morons.

— neutral (View Profile)

Posted on 6/8/2008 9:09:41 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I wish they could sell the diesel vehicles that they produce in U.S., in the U.S.; Americans would snap these things up in a heart beat. I'm still holding out for a Jeep Compass or Patriot Diesel.

http://www.mpgomatic.com/2008/03/15/35-mpg-why-wait-until-2020/

...you won't be able to argue that these diesels are trash because they're all German engines, and the figures have been converted to American mpg ratings...

— Bmw8ter (View Profile)

Posted on 6/30/2008 10:24:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1