The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have »
Posted By pagey 10 months ago in Business & FinanceIf ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor (F), known widely for lumbering gas hogs.
Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor (TM) and Honda Motor (HMC) in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.
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normallysilent10 months ago
They use small Diesel engines a lot over there. Some friends took me on a tour of their country when I was over last ,through two different mountain ranges. Their little diesel did just fine with 4 of us in the car and we were on some steep grades. I just cant understand why we dont have these cars over here. If its the pollution standards they need looked into. These cars may not go 0 to 60 in 4 seconds but they do get ya there just fine, And with some change still in your pocket.
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Nowalive10 months ago
I miss the diesels. I had a 1988 Volkswagon Golf hatchback. It got around 55 MPG. I made a LOT of money delivering pizza in that car. I would fill up once every week and a half on average. Bring the diesels back.
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PsychoHosebeastComment removed: User banned.1 Reply
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PsychoHosebeastComment removed: User banned.1 Reply
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LumFan10 months ago
When I travel to my friend's house in the next town for my usual get-together on Wednesday evenings and Sundays, I pass by a house where the people there own a pair of Smart cars (along with two other larger cars), and those are the only ones that I have seen in all of central Illinois.They actually look rather snazzy.
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I'm all for cars getting better gas mileage. One of the best ways for us to lower our dependency on foreign oil sources.
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quackpot10 months ago
Many Republican politicians (such as Ms Palin) sneer at increased fuel efficiency as being a reasonable approach to our oil crisis. Instead, they wish to make increased drilling a national priority.
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Bringing fuel efficient vehicles such as this into the U.S.A. market would make MUCH more sense as a national priority than would increased domestic drilling.
Finding ways to promote the manufacture of these vehicles in the U.S.A. with U.S.A. labor rather than importing them might also make a bit of sense. -
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PsychoHosebeastComment removed: User banned.
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BillsCatz10 months ago
Ford doesn't market this car because they have hundreds of thousands of gas hogs to sell right here at home -- Explorers and Rangers and Crown Vics and whole lines of Mercurys and Lincolns. The "business reason" is they refuse to undermine their own market in big PROFITABLE vehicles.... Oink, oink!
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Nowalive10 months ago
BC,
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Ford should sell them in China. The fastest selling vehicles are the Hummer, followed by the Suburban.
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Tcaros10 months ago
Now how would the powers to be stay rich if we use less gas? This is why they want to drill for more oil. They want to continue our dependence on the commidity which they control.
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(they want to control the technology as well) -
airwick1944Comment removed: User banned.
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truthiness10 months ago
I don't know why people think there is some sort of corporate conspiracy to screw us.
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Nowalive10 months ago
The biggest scams out there are ethanol and hybrids. Ethanol REDUCES fuel economy an average of 15% and performance by 18%(studies by CATO Institute and Consumer Reports). Hybrids are averaging 35 MPG. My 1995 Chevy Lumina has twice the room, and still gets 28 MPG as a non hybrid. Remove ethanol, factor back in the 15% and my Lumina would get 31, and a hybrid would get 40 and with more pep.
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truthiness10 months ago
there is no new drilling opportunities in America that will provide fuel to the marketplace inside of ten years.
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continuing to invest in the fossil fuel industry is a waste of resources that should be invested in developing better renewable fuel technology.
I'm sure you could list as easily as I a number of technologies that improved dramatically in any given five year period due to a focused effort to do so. the only thing holding back alternative energy is our focus.
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RcFlyer9 months, 2 weeks ago
So many of the 'alternatives' are simply at best premature pipe-dreams. Ethynal is a poor alternative because of one huge factor, you can't turn your food into fuel and still survive, it's a matter of time. We simply don't have the agricultural resources to make this a viable long term altenative. Solar is decent, but you know the sun doesn't shine 24/7, it's supplimentary at best, aside from the cost and inefficiency at present. Wind is great, still, not a 24/7 occurance though, again a suppliment (which is ok, not an alternative to oil though). Hydrogen ... let's not go there, you simply have too little understanding of the process if you think this is viable or realistic. Nuclear, now there's an alternative! Yes I know, nuclear waste, and I agree to some extent but we spend a heck of a lot of time, energy, and money trying to figure out the pipe dreams ... we could manage the problems of nuclear better without the idiots in Hollywood who know a bit about acting and not much else. The ignoramous idea of solar energy beamed to earth via ... microwaves ... now THERE'S something the environmentalists could truly carry clout on, but they don't really care so long as we turn our backs on the dreaded black gold that we have so much of. ugh
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