It's not that the cars are banned here, it's that people in NA don't want turbodiesel cars with small engines, they don't sell here, so the manufacturers won't bother selling those engines here.
Back in the hot rod days of cheap gas if anyone ever told me I'd own a Toyota, I'd have told them they were nuts....
Back in the hot rod days of cheap gas if anyone ever told me I'd own a Toyota, I'd have told them they were nuts....
Back in the seventies I was shopping for a new car and one of the things that pushed me towards Japanese cars was the fit and finish of the doors and hood and trunk lid. On North American cars the crack between the doors etc, and the car body was variable. The crack on one side of the trunk lid, doors, etc. was wider than the other side. The Japanese cars didn't seem to have this problem.
I'll see your Toyota and raise you two Hyundais.
Ford had a neat little job which blew up during rear end collisions, burning the rear seat occupants to death.
They fought any safety improvements tooth and nail
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Quote: Old Medic: "And this is NOT because of advertising. It's because the cars are simply not suitable for real world driving.""
The real world will be changing somewhat in the future. Can one outfit a bike with snow tires??
I always got a kick out of Ford logic: Lawsuits will be cheaper to settle than changing the design.
Mom called hers "Sherman".
That's not just Ford's logic, it was GMs logic as well.
And think about it. You run a business, and one person dies using your stuff. Do you immediately stop everything and redesign it?
Ford had a neat little job which blew up during rear end collisions, burning the rear seat occupants to death.
I always got a kick out of Ford logic: Lawsuits will be cheaper to settle than changing the design.
Mom called hers "Sherman".
They have tried, repeatedly to sell those high mileage cars in the US. They simply do not sell. They are tiny, they are NOT designed for American roads (particular in the Western half of the country), they are not safe on entering freeways, and they cost way too much for what you get.
Just like Hybrids and electric cars don't sell worth a damn. There are massive subsidies to purchase electric cars, and they STILL can't sell them.
And this is NOT because of advertising. It's because the cars are simply not suitable for real wokld driving.
It's not that the cars are banned here, it's that people in NA don't want turbodiesel cars with small engines, they don't sell here, so the manufacturers won't bother selling those engines here.
I can't buy that argument, TP. Not when those little Smart Cars cars are puttering around the streets. In any case many of these cars
are not small as the pic below shows.
I can't buy that argument, TP. Not when those little Smart Cars cars are puttering around the streets. In any case many of these cars
are not small as the pic below shows.
Any smart car owners out there? My stepson, who is a mechanic in Germany claims they tend to loose their engines around the 160000 mark. Just wondering if it comes from having access to real freeways instead of rolling parking lots.
With 2 kidsand a dog, the Smart is totally impractical for me. I'll stick with my Outback, thanks. If Subaru brought their diesel out here, I'd consider that, but I can't see the value in a car that won't hold the family.
Have you ever seen a Smart car in a lumberyard? I bet Smart car owners have friends with trucks on speed dial.
