Why can't we have some of those nice cars getting over 50MPG?

Question

I have been wanting a newer car that uses less fuel. I would love to have a small SUV. I just read an article about a guy in Australia going 1100 miles on one tank with a Hyundai Sante Fe diesel. I then did some research and there are many cars in Europe and Australia that get over 50 MPG. They are mostly diesels. They are made by Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Pugeot?, VW, ET AL. I also read they have 114 models that get over 40 MPG.

Why can't we buy them here? They are not expensive cars. They are being made and in use now. I could cut my fuel usage in half by simply buying one of these inexpensive cars. I could pay $4 a gallon and still spend less than I did before. Seems like a no-brainer. Why do they not sell them here?

Answer 1

They'll be here soon. Europe has always had higher gas prices which is why those cars are offered there. Before there was too little demand here in North American, now that there is demand, they will come.

Answer 2

Like others have said there are two main reasons. First is that diesels have a bad stigma in the US for some stupid reason and they didn't meet emissions standards. That's why the price of diesel has gone up so much because of the extra refinement process it has to go through. There are gonna be some new diesels coming out this fall. The Jetta TDI will be coming out soon and that is a 40 MPG or so car. Mercedes just released the GL350 or whatever TDI and it's a full sized SUV that averages 25 MPG. The hybrid Tahoe and such don't even do that well.

Answer 3

The technology is not here yet in the USA. The most fuel efficient vehicles you read about in Europe do not meet crash test standards for the USA. Most of those little "shoe boxes" you stand very little chance in a accident so who cares if it gets 50 mpg when your killed. They are working on it now but cars like a Prius are about as good as you can get now.

Answer 4

There has not really been a market for small, fuel efficient vehicles in the US.  I'm sure the US market will start to slowly go that route now that more and more American consumers are catching on to the idea, but believe it or not despite all of the complaining you read/hear on high gas prices many Americans are still not going to be willing to downgrade their quality of life to accommodate these increasing prices.

Answer 5

Because of greed and corruption.We could be getting 50 + MPG with even the largest gasoline powered SUV's.Just by vaporizing fuel before it enters an engine, to 100 Parts of Air to 1 Part of Fuel. But all vehicles in the USA from ' 96 to the present are required by the EPA-OBD II Law to operate at 14.7 parts of Air to 1 Part of Fuel.Any change whatsoever, even if fuel economy is improved, and Emissions are lowered, will result in a failed vehicle emissions inspection.If a vehicle's on board Oxygen [O2] Sensors fail to detect an adequate amount of pollution, then an O2 Sensor Failure Code will register. O2 Sensor Exemptions are granted vehicles converted to operate on Natural Gas, Propane, or Hydrogen.But not vaporized gasoline, which is 100 parts of Air to 1 part of Fuel.My Avatar is a photo of a Device that safely vaporizes gasoline.The resulting vapor that would normally power an engine is instead ignited to prove that it actually works.I'm not the first to figure this out.Far from it ! Go to http://energy21.freeservers.com/bookrep....  and http://www.gasholemovie.com and you'll see what I mean.I'm no buying or selling anything, I just want to get the word out about alternative use of conventional Energy.Once the Greed and Profit are removed from Big Oil, then safe, abundant non polluting Alternative Energy will finally take over, and Petrol Power will end up as a relic of the past !

Answer 6

The vast majority of the diesel cars you turned up in your research are sold in Europe but not the U.S. because they do not meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 2 emissions standards.  That's why they are not allowed to be sold in the U.S..  http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/us/ld...

That should change next year though.  Car makers like Mercedes and VW will finally have Tier 2-compliant diesel passenger cars ready for sale by then.

By the way, diesel fuel right now costs on average 80 cents more per gallon than gasoline, so you will actually be paying $4.80 per gallon, not $4.

Answer 7

Money. All anyone cares about is money. If it kills them, big businessmen will get money. They'll destroy Earth before losing a buck.

Answer 8

BECAUSE it's ALL BUSINESS!!! WE Americans can pay the $$$ and so why should they give us what Erupoe has,... I hate that too !!! They are taking advantage of us!!! AVe you seen those cute Smart cars??? I know you said SUV but they are not ever going to bring them to light for us here in the US anytime soon. they want us out of them,...