http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070507/...pr/obama_autos

 

He is right, just look at the Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, and BMW 3 series sold over in Europe. They all get about 20% better mileage than North American counter parts.

There is talk of a smaller (4.5L?) Diesel V8 being used in the Silverado 1500 come 2010. That is a start but not enough. The 2.9L Diesel V6 should also be used, it puts out more torque than the Vortec Max and would give the Silverado the mileage of a 4 cyl. Colorado 4x4

 

Yeah. The guy is just talking out of his ***. For years Detriot was investing in what the Customers told them they wanted. And it isnt like they arent curretly making models with better gas mileage. My cobalt gets better gas milage than the Civic SI.

Also giving a private company my tax money to make fuel effiecent cars upsets me. What if I buy a honda? Now I have to pay for some retired unions former Gm-employee? If I wanted to Support GM I would have purchased a GM car.

Also there are companies out there like Telsa. Who I would rather give money to working thwards making something special is really pushing the envolope. Make more of prize money though. Make the company prove what is doing before giving them my money.

 

Look at what engines are offered in the US, then look what the same cars in Europe and Asia get. Base Cobalt should get the Astra 1.8L engine. The public wants it Honda Civic and Prius sales prove that.

Aveo, Focus, and Cobalt don't come close to the mileage of Civic and Corolla. GM is in the lead with gasoline truck engines but wouldn't it be nice if we had 4 & 6 cyl diesels and direct injection on the gas V8s.

Honda, Toyota, and Nissan get subsidies from Japan that allows to have an advantage over US automakers. I hate helping companies with tax payer dollars too, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. National Security and our economy depend on it.

 

He has half of a good plan. I don't think he should specify what method they take to improve efficiency (since I am no hybrid fan), but it wouldn't be the worst thing if they had an incentive to produce more fuel-economical cars.

 

Yeah but how to you pull off passing legislation to subsidize/incentivise their retiree's healthcare w/o the imports that make cars here getting a share too?

I think this is an assinine plan....the domestics are already scrambling to improve MPG, this is just typical Democrat waste.

 

IMO, this plan is more about "Let's bail out GM and Ford" than it is about fuel economy. Even if GM and Ford don't need to be bailed out, it will play well in Michigan.

 

I'm inclined to agree.

At it's most basic level, it's government help with healthcare (exactly what US automakers have been clamoring for) in exchange for more efficient powertrains (which even the Bush Administration is pushing).

Disagree with it being "typical Democrat Waste" since it involves key desired elements from both parties as well as the auto industry.

Gotta also disagree with the notion that the US industry simply makes what people want to buy. Two examples:

1. Why are high mileage great performing diesels key in Europe, and US automakers have to almost be threatened at gunpoint to even consider bringing them here?

2. And this is even more telling.... why is GM hesitating, or even having to ask the question if one of the small Chevrolet concepts should be imported to the US sometime in the distant future at a time when Toyota's burning up PR money selling the Prius (which I'm guessing gets less MPG than the Chevy concepts) and fuel here in San Francisco is at $3.80 for Premium and about $3.60 for regular?

Although the US industry is in the midst of a rebirth, it still is the same old business-as-usual when it comes to NIH (Not Invented Here) mentality and almost mental hysteria resistance to anything that involves the words "Fuel Economy" that comes from outside the auto industry.

400 horspower v8s that get 30mpg are great. But there's no real reason why diesels or mini cars aren't even available here.

 

Bob Lutz was on Autoline Detroit last week and explained that the current European diesels won't come close to meeting the new California/NE emissions standards. He said that you basically need a chemical factory built into a diesel car and that it (the chemical factory) would cost as much as the car (effectively saying, "Yeah, we have the technology to do it, but is anybody gonna pay $40,000 for a $20,000 car?") Even at $4 a gallon, the monthly fuel cost difference between a 40 mpg car and a 27 mpg car is only $50. I think most American's prefer to not be forced to stuff themselves into a tin can to save $50 a month. Like it or not, that's capitalism. And the manufacturers know that, while gas prices look bleak now, they are not going to risk it all when they know we could be back to $1.50 gallon within a couple of years (don't laugh, while not likely, it could happen). I remember back in 1979, it was virtually a lock that we were going to be out of gas within a decade and there would be no such thing as a V8 after 1981. It is all basic economics. California Congress-people notwithstanding, the only way to get a free population to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles on their own is for it to make economic sense.

 

Quote^^^^

Another thing I've said all along is we legislated this problem in the first place. We had 30mpg cars/mini-trucks readily available 20 years ago.

My Dad drove a little Diesel Chevette and routinely got almost 40mpg. Mini-Isuzu trucks could be found as well.

We want safety, we want clean burning engines, and all wrapped up in a 100mpg package.

Sometimes you have to have a balance. If I was an Auto Maker I'd just say Screw It. Go buy a horse. I bet peoples views would change real fast.

 

And don't forget it seems like everyone wants 0-60 times under 8 seconds, maybe 7 (even for daily driver family transportation), whereas most of those 30mpg cars 30 years ago went 0-60 in 16-20 seconds. It's easy to make MPG when you don't make any power.

 

Good point. The 2008 base V6 Malibu is going to be about as fast as an LT1 Camaro

 

Obama: U.S. Auto Fuel Efficiency lacking?

Mr. Senator, what do you drive?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...05110399&imw=Y

 

A 300 I was waiting to see an H2 or something. It would be nice if everyone shifted to cars like that instead of huge fullsize SUVs. Where is the Bluetec V6 or Hybrid option on that car?

Buying American is still better than buying a Import for a politician IMO.

 

A Hemi 300. Just seemed odd to me that someone who would take the Big 3 to task for their fuel efficiency and lack of hybrid models would be driving the most fuel thirsty of the domestic V8s.