The UK has cars that get 55 mpg and made by Ford. Why not here?

Question

I rode a cab to the airport made by Ford, that was getting 50-55 mpg on the highway. It was a turbo-diesel and just as powerful as a V-8. Since they have the technology to build them, why in the heck do we not have them now? The people of the USA should be outraged that this has happened.

Answer 1

the oil companies are watching you.  stop spreading this propaganda.  i'm kidding of course, but i speculate they could have something to do with it.

Answer 2

I too have traveled to Britain and noticed the same thing. They are paying about $10-11 per gallon for petrol there now; when you take into consideration the exchange rate, it feels like $5 a gallon to them in our economy. They demanded the better technology long before we have and it has been very beneficial for all people concerned. Yes, Ford and the other companies can build them, but we have to be smart enough to demand it, and to only buy them like the Brits do.

Answer 3

Silly girl.. Big oil companys run this country.

Answer 4

There are a few things that you need to understand about the American auto industry for you to understand my answer, as you are missing some basic knowledge about the industry - with all due respect.

For one thing, you know Diesel is made from oil, right? And you know the price of Diesel these days in America? It's more expensive than gasoline, so it may nix any benefits in mileage that a Diesel car may achieve.

America's love affair with Diesel motors was short-lived. In the late-1970s, there were a lot of them in America, but they were dirty (as in they polluted a lot more than gas engines) and they were slow. Plus, GM tried to make some of their engines run on Diesel, which was a reliability nightmare and turned a lot of people off to Diesel (not to mention GM).

You say that it's just as powerful as a V-8, but this is not true at all. Diesel engines put out a lot less horsepower than a similar gasoline engine. However, they put out a lot of torque, which may make the car feel faster than it really is. That's why they are a popular (yet expensive) option for certain pickup trucks in America - the massive torque allows them to tow more while achieving better mileage. So, if they are available in our pickup trucks, why not our cars?

Well, like I indicated above, there's not much demand in America because the public remembers. But, even more significantly, most Diesels don't meet U.S. clean air requirements. The amount of engineering and, hence, cost needed to meet U.S. requirements does not warrant certification by the EPA if the demand for these engines doesn't exist - after all, companies are in the business of making profit, so if they need to spend x amount of money, they need to sell y amount of cars in order to break even. Chances are they won't meet those sales goals . . . especially considering Diesel is not sold in every street corner.

So why are some pickups available with this engine and not many cars? It's because trucks have less strict clean-air requirements, so they can get away with it.

In reality, the people of the USA shouldn't be outraged because they are the ones determining that Diesel is not desirable to meet their needs.

I feel with ensuing technology, you'll find more Diesel cars in America (VW and Mercedes are the ones who consistently offer them). They are not as slow as they used to be either, which can be attributed to turbo technology - now they're very comparable to a non-turbo gas engine. It's just much more complicated than what it appears.