Why aren't there any 3 Cylinder 5 speed Diesels in the USA? They would sell like crazy nect summer when the oil companies raise us to $4.00 a gallon.
I am not buying a Prius or whatever, because I dont think its a twenty year car because of the battery and electrical and computer ssytems.
Why on earth dont they sell a 5 speed 3 cylinder 60 mpg Diesel here in the USA?
Cars are not that hard to build. GM or Ford could do it easily if they put their mind to it. Some of the engineering on their cars is actually very very good, I just think they are Huge Corporate structures that need to get some Entrepeneurial Spirit back and need some reorganization.
I recently bought an old Corolla 93 and Honda 93 Civic for a total of $950 off of Craigs List--one with a smashed door and one witha dead clutch--and I am fixing them up for my daughter and nephew. They are amazing engineering creations, they are just extremely simply made robust cars, I think even a 3rd world country could make them

Yet. VW makes one in mexico.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

because Detroit is full of money grubbing neocons, the EPA probably has its hands in the wallet of the oil companies so anything too fuel efficient is labeled as "does not meet emissions standards"

Because most citizens of the US could give a rat's a$$ about fuel economy until it hits them in the wallet. One out of every nine barrels of oil worldwide goes to make gasoline for the US market. We should be ashamed, but I see way too many housewives in Ford Expiditions when they could be in something much smaller that would still fit their needs.

There is no doubt that big oil and US car manufacturers are in bed together and have been for many years. Let us also not forget the executive branch of our federal government's relationship with big oil. They don't even want to supply any information of meetings they had with advisors from big oil when they were establishing their energy policy.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Doesnt a "Single" Driver in a Hummer or Escalde really IRK You?

It irks the hell out of me, some individual goofball driving down the road at 8 mpg just so he or she can go to Macy's to buy a pair of underwear or an alligator wallet and using up a one year's worth Istukauirijian's petroleum production in a single trip, with their 8000 BTU Air Conditioning Sytems running at peak capacity and their Front and Rear LCD TV systems both on!

The US consumer needs to be educated about diesel and diesel fueled vehicles.....right now there is not enough demand here to grab anyones attention. Those other countries have been conserving for so long that they know the benefits of diesel and demand it so the Auto manufactures market diesel vehicles to them and not to the "gasoline addicted" consumer in the US.
If 40% of the US population would demand Diesel vehicles like Europe....believe me we would see every auto maker scramble to get a chunk of that pie...and our diesel options would open right up. But its all about demand and $ and we are not coming up with the magic numbers!

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FRED

Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K

A 3 cylinder diesel frightens me, It would be hard to turbo charge effectively. After driving my dads old chevy diesel that wasn't turbo charged I would find a 3 cylinder very frustrating to boot, 0 to 60 in a minute?

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

Not according to VW. They have a 300hp v6 planned and a 150hp slant 3 planned I believe. Turbo and Supercharged.

[edit]

I cant find the URL to back it up but the numbers were astounding. They make sever 3 cyl TDI however. The only TSI I see are gasoline.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

The problem is, they chose not to produce fuel efficient vehicles back when the market wasn't overwhelmingly demanding them. Now they have nothing to sell until they can develop it from scratch. For small companies, decisions like that are generally the result of insufficient resources.. for large ones it can only be due to poor decision making.

If it weren't for the disaster it would wreak on the US economy, I'd vote to let those car company die the death their bad decisions brought them and let them be replaced by smaller companies run by smarter people.

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.

yea, It does.... And they drink bottled water thinking its "cleaner" than tap

The problem is the epa following california's lead, focussed only on reducing pollutants while the rest of the world focused on reducing greenhouse emissions. As far as they were concerned it was worth sacrificing 3mpg to reduce NOx a further 5%.

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

I don't think the demise of the domestic auto industry will result in much of a "disaster" for the overall U.S. economy, it's probably inevitable, although it won't do the rust belt much good. The U.S. manufacturing sector has been in decline for several decades and will continue to be replaced by other higher value-added products/services. The U.S. does not, and should not, want to compete with the rest of the world for manufacturing business.

However, I am not optimistic that they will be replaced by "smaller companies run by smarter people." When the american consumers actually want better fuel efficiency, someone will bring these products to market. I don't think it's going to happen with $3/gallon fuel, maybe $6/gallon would do it.

I could not disagree with you more. A strong manufacturing base is essential for a self sufficient military in the event of all out war. A weak manufacturing base weakens the security which also weakens the economy.

China finally learned this and is growing economically and militarily. When will we learn this and quit pumping up China. I see many similarities between pre ww2 Japan and China. We need another Billy Mitchel soon!

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

I'm sorry that we are not going to be fully prepared to fight World War II, but that ship has sailed and there is no going back. In this century, having the capability to build lots of jeeps and airplanes is completely irrelevant to national security. The next war will not look anything like the last one.

Whether we like it or not, the U.S. is no longer in the manufacturing business. Hopefully, China will continue to grow (at a sustainable rate) and become a customer for out technology and a source of affordable labor. If the Chinese economy tanks in a big way, we are all going to feel the effects. What we need to do is help china get it's currency and banking straightened out.

Cadillac and Saturns are scheduled for diesel engines.
Check out this link:

http://www.dieselforum.org/newsarticle/article/835/1/

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys