A good chunk of that $12,000 cost differential is from building the car in a European auto factory, paying European wages, and with European environmental regulations.
Combined with the weakness of the US dollar versus the Euro.
Build the same car, with the same parts... in Mexico, using US parts makers and with Mexican labor, and you’d be able to drop most (if not ALL) of that price difference.
Sorry for the delay-Been out of town with no access to computer.
Interesting concept. Do you know what the differential would be if the car was built in St. Louis with Union wages, using US parts makers?