chadhargis wrote:
Don't get me wrong guys, I'm a diesel head for sure.
But I stand by the fact that MOST people won't choose a diesel over a gasser, much less pay MORE for it. I understand it for heavy tow/haul needs, but for an everyday average driver, diesels just don't have as much lure.
The beautiful thing about the free market is that what the market wants, it gets. If people wanted diesels, then we'd have diesels. Car companies, regardless of how much we think they are idiots, aren't stupid. It's all about making money. Cash is king. If they, for one second, believed they could be more profitable selling diesels in the US, they'd do it. They do it all over the rest of the world, so why not here? Because they have studied it to death, and don't think they can make any money at it. Plain and simple.
I know if *I* were given the choice of a gas or diesel engine, I'd choose the diesel. I know this for a fact, since I'd have NEVER bought a Liberty had it not been a diesel, but I ONLY wanted a diesel. Most people shop for a car with two main things in mind. Price (or monthly payment) and what the vehicle looks like.
I'm betting more than 70% of all drivers (maybe even more than that) couldn't tell you how many cylinders their engine has, and you guys think they want to fool with the inconveniences of owning a diesel AND pay $4000 more for the privilege?
Like I said, don't get me wrong. I love diesels. But I completely understand why manufacturers aren't selling them here. It's all about the money, and I'm sure the EPA is screwing things up somewhere along the line too, but the automakers probably have a pretty big lobby group, so that could be fixed if that were the real problem.
Of course MOST people are not going to buy diesels. But if Mahindra could take 5% of the new car market they would be wildly successful.
I'll respond to the idea of the market getting what it wants. It DOESN'T get what it wants. The American auto industry in conjunction with the Federal Government has suppressed the import of many excellent European and Asian autos with stupid Safety and emission laws. Think about the 5MPH impact bumper law. By doing this they have forced the public to have to pay for "safe" bumpers, passenger airbags, and EGR valves. All of which put more money into the pockets of the industry. Don't you think that the American public would buy a compact diesel car that gets 78MPG (VW Lupo)? How about a gasser that gets 54 combined MPG (Ford fiesta)? The interesting thing about the European market is that 2/3 of all models getting greater than 40mpg combined citi/hwy are made by the big three American companies. Somehow they "need" 34 billion of the American public's dollars to produce more efficient autos? No, there is nothing "free" about the market, the American public buys whatever the auto makers/Federal government shoves down their throat.
Some interesting reads.
http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_ar ... esID=21658
Market share for ford is climbing in Europe
http://media.ford.com/article_display.c ... e_id=29408
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Most of the time you have to order one like I did in 96. Be prepared for a long wait. On my last one I actually had a choice of 2 at one dealer. A black one or a dark green one. If you want a royal blue one you have to order it.
