Is this the end of the SUV? [Canada promises to get most people into 46 mpg sub-compacts]

The Globe and Mail ^ | 5/19/05 | RICHARD GILBERT

[doc30]

Canada measures fuel mileage as how many liters of gas are needed to travel 100 kilometers. The average of 10 l/100km is about 23 mpg. Canada is mandating by 2011, 5 l/100 km, which is about 46 mpg. Owning a car in Canada is going to really, really s*ck. The sad part is that if this is the direction the auto industry is going to take there, what kind of bleed off effect will it have here in the U.S. I can't believe they want to do this by shortening the lifespan of a new car by 1/3! And they will be crappy cars, too!

[doc30]

ping?

[narby]

Canada is so, so, ... European.

[Jaysun]

The sad part is that if this is the direction the auto industry is going to take there, what kind of bleed off effect will it have here in the U.S. I can't believe they want to do this by shortening the lifespan of a new car by 1/3! And they will be crappy cars, too!

You're not kidding doc. Once they're getting 40+ MPG there, it'll be hard to argue that we shouldn't do it here. Once again Canada has shown us that the shaft is just a bit longer and just a bit wider than we thought.

[HungarianGypsy]

Hey! If they can manage to make a car that can fit seven people I would consider it. Wait! Wasn't that called a station wagon? If we look at the title for my SUV it says SW. Guess I already have one.

[samtheman]

I can't wait for Canada to break up into several pieces with the western provinces to join the US.

(Could happen.)

[handy old one]

Ride you thumb? When wil government learn to leave people alone. If you wnt a large car pay for it, don't make me have to but a small car.

[doc30]

They probably want to do this for their union paymasters. Cars with a shorter lifespan increases turnover. That means more work for unionized auto workers which means more money diverted to the Liberal junta. All in the name of 'saving the environment.' I guess 'its for the children' isn't flying like it used to up there.

[Corporate Law]

Me and my SUV => From my cold dead fingers. Actually, I commute in a sedan and drive the SUV the rest of the time, and if the SUV dies I will get another.

[Nyboe]

quote " the use of vans, pickup trucks and SUVs as everyday vehicles will become a thing of the past"

LOL no they wont, not as long as people still have children. The libs dont have a clue why most people drive SUV's with all the crap parents have to cart around these days for the children, there is no other option than to drive a SUV or van. By the time you fill up the back seat with car seats, and the truck with all the other misc stuff your lucky if you can even get by with a regular sized SUV!

Of course liberals don't realize this because their too busy slaughtering all their children!

[Arkie2]

If you read til the end of the article it's clear this whole change is taking place because of Kyoto. You can see how draconian the measures will have to be to accomplish the Kyoto goals. I didn't see any mention in the growth of numbers of vehicles. They assume a static amount I believe.

Also, once they start in on the long haul trucking fleets, they'll have oversized picup trucks doing the job of 18 wheelers.

I especially like the part where they say the suburbs will die out and urban living will return AND PEOPLE WILL LIKE IT!

[Kozak]

A local teacher here ( Neenah Wi) had a big writeup in the local paper about his "hybrid". He went so far as to call for legislation to make ownership MANDATORY. Buried in the bottom of the article was the part where he admitted he drove an SUV in the winter, because of the lousy traction of his little putt putt skate, and for SAFETY CONCERNS for his family. AMAZING.

[jonascord]

That's OK. All the people who live out in the tall and uncut will have to become self sufficiant, since you can't get a month's worth of town food in a two seater, and start subsistance farming. Since they are the farmers, the food they grow for the urbanites will dwindle away. The City dwellers, who are so proud of there little cars that can't actually survive a long road trip will linger for a while, until the cannibalism starts...

[fanfan]

Kanukistan ping.

(GMMAC and I share the list.)

:-)

[TexanToTheCore]

Rules legislated by people who can't manage to have more than two children.

[Billthedrill]

Sounds great if you live in a city. I sympathize with my counterparts in the countryside, though. Wintertime, six inches of new powder, and the plows ain't comin' until Tuesday. Gimme an SUV or a great honkin' pickup with knobbly tires, thanks, and keep your 46 mpg eggshell running on fuel-efficient slicks. I don't attend a lot of tea parties and the stock need feeding.

[okie01]

The suburbs will fade, city living will become even more attractive and, given a chance, public transit will bloom.

A liberal wet dream of how "the masses" should live.

[-YYZ-]

There is pure pie in the sky stuff. There's not a chance in heck of making these targets, by any means. And any government that tries raising gas taxes high enough to force Canadians into these miserable little fuel misers will certainly be tossed out - we might put up with a lot from our morally bankrupt socialist federal government, but jacking up the level of gas taxes that high is not one of them. These guys must have been smoking really big bongs full of BC bud to have come up with this cockamamie scheme!

[faq]

If I was looking to make an investment, I would be starting up an auto parts store in Canada. I got a feeling there are some SUV's up there that ain't ever going to die.

[Chode]

will these stooopid asses pass a law against SNOW too???