Getting2Work

I was doing my Friday morning reading when I came across an article titled, “10 Cars That Get More Than 40 mpg“. This was an interesting list of cars.  The first 2 listed were hybrids.  The first named (of course) was the Toyota Prius and the second (my kind of car) was the Honda Civic Hybrid and they were the only two that are available in the US.  The rest of them are not available for sale in the US.  Three of them are not diesel while the rest of the five are not sold in the US because they are diesels.  Guess who is the maker of two of these fuel efficient cars … FORD!!!!  One is the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic that I mentioned in one of my articles and the other is the Ford Ka.

So it seems to me that Ford could save itself without all this bail out.  Maybe we are putting some of these bail out money in the wrong place.    Are we really too stupid to learn about the new cleaner diesel fuel?  Don’t you think that we will buy one of them if they show the same product quality, fuel efficiency and greener.  I am driving a Honda Civic Hybrid.  I am driving it because it’s reliable, more fuel efficient and greener.  Not just because it’s a Honda!

The headline “The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can’t Have” at businessweek.com caught my eyes.  Okay, so this was not today’s headline, hot off the press but it’s still warm enough for me to notice.  How could it not?  It’s an American car that gets 65mgp!!!!  Oh but wait … we’re not getting this in the US!!!!

Here’s a few points mentioned in the Business Week article as to why the Ford management feel that they can’t make a business case in the US:

1. Ford’s 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel … diesel as old-tech … whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel
2. the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high
3. price of the Fiesta to around $24,400 … Ford doesn’t believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic

So what’s up with us?!!!  Are we really that narrow minded in the US.  I would like to think not!  I’m a pretty average individual.  If I come across a topic that hit home for me, I would certainly hunt down more information so that when I have to make a decision, it will be a more informed decision.  Fuel price and clean air certainly are hot topics right now.

Yes, Toyota and Honda made and still is making the most noise in hybrid and fuel efficient cars.  But has there been any campaign for the new diesel?  Anyone care to point out …

• the new diesel vehicles are as clean or cleaner than gasoline
• 30% or more fuel-efficient

Here’s one from Honda.  The video/song is a bit child like and cute but you’ll get it.

As for the cost … I can understand that diesel engine is very different and we don’t have any plant here.  Okay, as Business Week’s follow up article’s point #5 pointed out, it’s not that easy.  But I am sure we would love the possibility of more jobs here in the US.

Here’s more points made in the follow up article from Business Week.  Yes, it’s not so simple … state taxes, regulations, prejudice, cost, etc.  But other car companies such as Honda, Nissan and Hyundai have diesel cars for the US in their plans.  Volkswagen and Mercedes both had cars approved by California and will be coming next year.  If we associate diesel as dirty and polluting, then use some other name like what VW (Jetta TDI) and Mercedes (Bluetec) did.  If we don’t think ahead and work together, we’ll be playing catch up again.