Comments on: Why Does the USA Lag the Rest of the World in Fuel Economy?

By: employee time management

employee time management — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:21:18 +0000

Because, Americans like bitching about gas prices. If we all got 50 mpg we would have less to bitch about, and that would be unAmerican.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:24:17 +0000

WTF! Am I the last man on the planet that was alive in the 80′s!? Chevy sprint, ford fiesta, FORD MUSTANG, pinto, dodge rampage, chevy citation! C’mon PEOPLE! Every one of those vehicles can EASILY get over 35MPG, and the crazy part is that american list is just off the top of my head, its hundreds of cars longer worldwide! My next door neighbor has two 70 mpg Chevy sprints. I am a proud owner of a 55mpg metro(Which seats my FAT family of 5 just fine). My father owns a 1955 Chrysler Winsor nassau with over 300 horsepower and it gets 28, ITS GIANT TOO!!! My mother owns an 88′ honda civic that gets 40mpg. Its completely insane all this “emissions reduction” and “noise reduction” crap that we let them put on the cars, reducing the efficiency of of the engine as a whole and weighing down the vehicle by hundreds of LBS! Less gas burned, less emissions… ITS THAT SIMPLE. American auto teaming up with foreign oil, a match made in hell. Even foreign auto manufacturers should be ashamed! These solid metal celtic knots that we call engines these days are impossible to work on and WASTE FUEL! So many Americans any more are afraid of even look under the hood of their car, let alone work on it! Its GROSS LAZINESS! This is the result. American auto’s dont sell. Thats really all there is to it, if our cars were good they would sell… YOu know what cars sell alot more often??? USED CARS. So stop getting rid of your old cars and stop buying new ones, at least until they realise wat type of cars people ACTUALLY want. Every day the car graveyard next to me grows bigger, I glean it for what parts I can, but I cry seeing the dreamcars of my childhood being destroyed in lieu of of these new “aerodynamic” bubble cars, that despite their lowered windresistance and size, still cant get 25 mpg. Even the finest luxury vehicles of the 50′s 60′s 70′s and 80′s got GREAT gas mileage in comparison to the Absolute garbage that is being produced these days. The idea that good fuel economy has to be a sacrifice of performance is a complete fabrication advocated by auto manufacturers and oil companies WORLDWIDE. ITS A SCHEME!

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:48:27 +0000

Let’s face it, big engine, lots of throaty vroom vroom, kick in the back acceleration, big comfortable seats. We would all like more of that, given the chance. In most economies, fuel is so highly taxed that we have to aspire to more modest machinery. The US has chosen to keep fuel taxes low and the citizens choose to indulge in these fuel guzzling monsters. Why not?
Few individuals acting alone can save the planet, no matter how hard they try. Only governments can impose the disciplines that are necessary to make sure that all citizens abide by a reasonable set of rules that will help to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas.
And, plasitc bags? Same applies. You can’t buy anything that isn’t wrapped in one. Ban them, and they will magically disappear. We just have to accept a disciplinarian style of government rather like the Chinese. On the other hand, is that what we want?

By: Matt Eastwood

Matt Eastwood — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:37:16 +0000

Sorry, and just one other thing. When are plastic polythene bags gonna stop being produced? And who actually makes those things anyway?

By: Matt Eastwood

Matt Eastwood — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:34:48 +0000

Ford Motor Company does not build many excellent cars in other parts of the world or any where.If it did it wouldn’t need bailing out. Toyota, Hyundai and BMW don’t need bail outs. “Americans did not want to buy them beacuse fuel tax and price is much lower in the USA” so therefore if they purchased smaller cars, the taxes and fuel costs would be even lower. Have you actually read this article? Nobody is blaming car companies for low fuel taxes or for producing cars that people want. The article is not ‘lobbying’, it is asking questions and putting a point of view across. With regard to higher fuel taxes so income tax can be reduced, most people drive to work, so increasing fuel tax will reduce their overall income. Therefore income taxes would need to come down dramatically and before the application of increasing fuel tax.
Additional problems not mentioned in the article are that the motor car is one aspect of the ‘American Dream’ it is a status symbol. The US also has an extremely proud tradition of producing cars (and rightly so) that cannot simply be changed overnight.
Kids ‘cruise’ for hours at a time. People race, I understand that NASCAR is in fact the biggest spectator sport in the US above US Football and Baseball (an American informed me of this).My point is that consumption will always exist regardless of price of fuel, look at cigarettes in the UK – over $11 a packet, but the numbers of smokers have not significantly dropped. The only thing to do is to keep raising awareness, and help people ask themselves when and if it is neccesary to use their vehicle. It is neccessary to drive to work, fair enough, use it. Is it neccessary to drive the kids to school – no – c’mon, if Forrest Gump and Spiderman can take the bus…

By: John Broomfield

John Broomfield — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:29:11 +0000

Ford Motor Company designs and builds many excellent small cars in other parts of the world. But Americans did not want to buy them because the fuel tax and fuel price is much lower in the USA than in any other oil consuming country. Why blame the car companies for low fuel taxes and for trying to make cars people in each country will buy (when they have the money)? You should be lobbying for higher fuel taxes so other taxes such as taxes on income from our work can be reduced.

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:39:41 +0000

Now Bush bales that backward industry out again…. Nice thing to do on your way out George, let’s keep up the carbon levels!

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:50:46 +0000

Nothing surprises me about the mentality of the US citizen or US business, big is good, our country is big, our cars are big, our burgers are bigger,our children even bigger!