Made In Romania: 58 mpg Ford B-Max

Transsylvania Phoenix ^ | 08/29/2012 | Transsylvania Phoenix

[.454Puma]

I always said small diesel automobiles are the future...not hybrids, not electric cars. I used to be a Chevy guy, but no more; Ford is the American automobile company to watch. With his new 58 mpg turbo-diesel B-Max model (sold in Europe), Ford demonstrates clean diesel technology is the future. Not hybrid, not electric, not pixie-dust powered.

[mountainlion]

The EPA will not allow these engines made out of the country to come into the USA to keep union power.

[Paladin2]

VW has been selling high mileage Diesels in the US for quite a while.

[Da Coyote]

“The EPA will not allow these engines made out of the country to come into the USA to keep union power.”

I very seriously doubt that anyone in the EPA could pass an Engineering 101 course.

Or, for that matter, an Ethics 101 course.

[Eva]

Really, is that the reason that we don’t have those engines in this country? That is really unbelievable.

Here we have a federal agency that is hell bent on taxing every carbon based discharge from industry, farms and even people, pushing alternative energy of all kinds to reduce carbon footprints, that refuses to allow Ford to bring in an engine that runs on less gas than any engine that is produced in this country.

[Mechanicos]

1984 VW Rabbit Diesel 35 city, 43 highway.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/26786.shtml

Its not about fuel mileage....

[Baynative]

High mileage quiet diesel - GOOD IDEA

Tiny shoebox with no accident protection - BAD IDEA!

[Triple]

It is my understanding that both ford and VW have @70 mpg cars for sale in Europe. I think the Ford is called the Ka. (that would sell well in the Boston area)

[bmwcyle]

Transsylvania? How many miles to a pint of blood?

[Dr. Sivana]

Yuz payz yuz money and yiu make yuz choice ... good idea.

btw, even tiny shoebox offers more protection than motorcycle.

[Red Badger]

Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished..... If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST jut FReepmail me..... This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....

[Secret Agent Man]

It is because in USA we produce a lot less diesel which is regarded as dirty, and also in lot less lower volume than gas, so they restrict the number of passenger vehicles so as not to take the diesel supply away from trucks and so nobody pressures them to allow more diesel to be made. They control demand and supply via regulation.

[WILLIALAL]

“VW has been selling high mileage Diesels in the US for quite a while.”

Own 3 right now, one is touching 420,000 miles with no problems.

[factoryrat]

What kind of deal did the EPA and the feds strike with VW to allow them to keep importing diesel cars? I worked for chrysler, at the time they were working on offering diesel engines for virtually every vehicle in their line up. I know, I drove the prototypes. They had phenomenal power and mileage. The EPA told them NO, they cannot be sold on the US market, period. Daimler dumped Chrysler the following year. The funny thing is, the engines we were running in the prototypes were made by the same company that made them for VW. The EPA is a racket shakedown scam, completely devoid of any scientific principles.

[rxtn41]

You can either have great gas mileage or safety, for me and my family, I will take the safety...things can be replaced people can’t....

[discostu]

There’s a viscous circle keeping diesel vehicles out of the US. It’s not very popular with drivers, in part because it’s still not readily available in parts of the country, of course part of why it’s not readily available is the limited demand. Slowly but surely it’s gaining popularity, making more demand, and more availability. But it’s a long road.

[mo]

it is however, all about this...

http://taxfoundation.org/article/state-and-federal-treasuries-profit-more-gasoline-sales-us-oil-industry

and trying to get “this” in place by 2024.....

http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/05/obama-administration-floats-pl.html

Unfortunately, government persists in trying to “maintain” their take of a piece of our freedom of movement and association, rather than adapting to new forms of revenue.

[Eye of Unk]

Its the Tucker doctrine, the unions will not allow anything to jeopardize their empire.

[nascarnation]

It’s definitely NOT 58 mpg using the US test procedures.

Add in the emission controls to conform to US laws and you’re looking at 35 (that’s what the VWs are rated at).

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&year1=2012&year2=2013&vfuel=Diesel&mclass=Small+Cars,%20Family+Sedans,%20Large+Sedans,%20Upscale+Sedans,%20Luxury+Sedans,%20Hatchbacks,%20Coupes,%20Convertibles,%20Sports/Sporty+Cars,%20Station+Wagons&srchtyp=newDslCars

[null and void]

The big difference between those two tests is they would recognize “Engineering” as an actual word.

OTOH the word “Ethics” would totally flummox them.