Re: Fuel efficiency not allowed in the US

Eeyore wrote:

Rodney Kelp wrote:

Geo Metro killed (58mpg) VW Jetta TDI banned (50+mpg) 80mpg European
diesels banned from importation. Citroen's 60mpg cars banned from
import. All high mileage cars banned in the US.

How about providing evidence of this alleged banning ? There aren't any 80mpg
European diesels btw. Also, a lot of Americans probably couldn't even fit inside
some of the smaller European cars.

The Geo Metro became the Chevy Metro back when gas cost $1.00/gallon because everybody was buying SUVs instead. It continued to sell poorly and GM killed it in 2001. Nothing sinister about it, there's just no point in building something you can't sell.

The Jetta TDI wasn't "banned," but failed to meet emissions standards in California and four other states. It was still available in the other 45 states through the 2006 model year, but emissions standards changed in 2007 and it was removed from the US market altogether. It will be back in 2008. Cleaner diesel fuel was introduced in the US this year, and on top of that the 2008 Jetta TDI will have a *far* cleaner engine anyway, though VW anticipates it will be rated around 38 mpg (which is about the same as the old US model).

The story with other diesels "banned" from the US is much the same as for the Jetta TDI. (Well, that and the fact that they just don't sell well here.) That said, a number of European and Japanese diesel models are slated to be introduced in the US over the next few years, in part because of the cleaner fuel we now have.

As for Citroen, their cars are not banned from import, but Citroen withdrew from the US market in 1974 because they consistently used technology that was not yet approved by US regulators -- things like adjustable-height suspensions, swivel headlights, new brake fluid formulations, etc. (most, if not all, of which is now legal here). Nowadays, since they aren't in the US market, they make no effort to comply with US regulations. Anybody in the US who wishes can import a Citroen, but if it is less than 25 years old it cannot be driven on public streets until it is made compliant with US regulations. That's no different than for any other vehicle made for a foreign market -- even one made by Ford, if it was made to be sold in Europe.
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Fuel efficiency not allowed in the US
    ... All high mileage cars banned in the US. ... European diesels btw. ... 2007 and it was removed from the US market altogether. ... public streets until it is made compliant with US regulations. ...
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  • Re: Fuel efficiency not allowed in the US
    ... European diesels btw. ... some of the smaller European cars. ... 2007 and it was removed from the US market altogether. ... public streets until it is made compliant with US regulations. ...
    (sci.energy)
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