I saw on Popular Mechanics or some mag at the grocery store, there's a bunch of diesels coming for 2008 or '09.

VW rabbit sized car, 72 mpg or so, an Audi, a BUICK can you believe (American made?? Must be imported from China), a 50 mpg Honda Accord, and a diesel BMW.

A 72 mpg car will be a HUGE impact ultimately, on world fuel needs. Just think, if over the next 20 years, even just 2 million of them hit the road, as opposed to 20 years ago when the average mpg might have been 20 mpg. That's nearly 1/4 fuel consumption over a few million cars. 50 mpg savings x 2 million cars starts to equal up to a lot of fuel savings!

jeff

I'd be on the list for a 72 mpg rabbit

The Lupo 1.2 TDI has been on sale in europe for years. It gets 81 mpg. Yes, it's a tiny car (smaller than new mini cooper) but the point is that's it has been around for a few years already, albeit not in the US market.

What I want is the C220 CDI with manual transmission. Currently available in europe, it makes 170 hp and a lot more ft/lbs of torque. Also gets 42 mpg's. Heck, if I knew of a Mercedes mechanic who could do the job, I'd buy a new C sedan here with a broken motor, and then source the C220 CDI motor & manual gearbox and have it swapped in.

Sure there's a market for small tiny uber-mileage cars here, but the real solution is to offer clean efficient diesel motors into the already hot selling US models. Honda Accord and Oddysey, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus F150 and Explorer. Make them get at least 10 mpg better than the gasoline motor and they'll sell like hot cakes. MB, VW have done this for years, and the high resale price of these on the used market is a reflection of the demand for them. It looks like in '08 and '09 BMW and Audi will join in. The Japanese are also planning something similar. Detroit is clueless but hopefully they'll see the sales figures and decide to hop on the bandwagon.

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'98 E300 turbodiesel

Thats why Clarkson always makes fun of the Prius, a VW Lupo or Polo get much, much better mileage and are cheaper.

They want to outlaw diesels in this country, so I will beleive it when I see it.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Awesome, I'll take a Rabbit also. That'd be a great 2nd car. (SD still comes first... )

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I duno... 617's allways have a place in my heart.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

NFW will I ever buy a peoples car again after my currant Jetta dies.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'll be on the first airplane to... somewhere else... if that happens.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

+1 id be all over that car!

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Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

The 72mpg VW will NOT be coming to the US anytime soon. We will however, be getting diesel versions of the Audi A8, Q7, BMW 3, 5, and 6 series, Cadillac CTS, Ford F-150, Saturn Aura, and Honda Accord by 2010.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4237945.html?page=1

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I'd heard 2009 for the diesel Honda. So now it's 2010?
And we were all supposed to be driving flying cars by now too. So long as various state & federal regs exist to stomp on diesels, I'll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile I also find most of the current crop of super economy vehicles - Tata, Smart, Fit, Yaris, etc....
- pretty hideous looking too! Why can't I have a super economy car that looks good, instead of something that says "look at me. I'm getting great mileage in my tiny wart-mobile!"

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Because the manufacturers have a very good understanding of their target market.

Yep, the Prius is just as much about making a statement as saving fuel.

Why do you think Toyota went through the trouble of building it? They could have just stuck the drive line in a Matrix or something they had on hand.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I guess alot of new-car styling is is sort of like the story of "The Kings New Clothes" or perhaps it's today's styling philosophy of 'better ugly than boring'!
Actually, the origial Prius was built on (or at least looked very-much like) Toyota's homely little Tercel-replacement, the Echo.
I think the current Prius is better looking than the original, or some of the other microcars, but I still don't want to haul around several hundred expensive pounds of batteries, that will need replacing at several-year intervals.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Any thoughts on the Chevy Volt?

GM is (hopefully) planning to release it around 2010-2011 at $20k-$30k
They call it an extended range electric vehicle. It's supposed to get 40 miles on a full charge and has a 3 cylinder generator to keep it going. They say the generator will be a gas/ethanol or diesel choice which powers the batteries at 50mpg.