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Group: nashville.general · Group Profile
Author: Brent PBrent P Date: Sep 18, 2008 06:43
> On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:22:51 -0400, "David T. Ashley" e3ft.com>
> wrote:
>>>
>>We could already have far more efficient cars on the road, but the auto
>>industry has been lobbying heavily for decades against CAFE and other sane
>>measures.
It's far worse than what that article covers. A quick view of ford UK's
website as well as the others shows that what these companies lack is
flexibility in the US market.
It comes down to three basic reasons.
1) Their marketing people. They see the regions as separate.
2) US regulations that are simply different or even mandate inferior
performance. These regulations along with the ones that require better
performance (if there are any these days) simply make it a pain to sell
ECE compliant vehicles in the USA. It's not like the old days where
european spec cars had poorer crash standards and emissions. The first
world is pretty much on a even footing all things considered now.
3) The UAW. The UAW would rather Ford and GM go out of business than
permit the flexibility of selling cars assembled in europe while
proving the market acceptance of the vehicle and/or changing over
factories in the USA.
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