The problem there is that most of the public doesn't want the 35 mpg cars that can currently be built. Most Americans want something with the size and power that currently leads to about 20 mpg, but they want the engineers to pull 35 or 40 mpg out of you know where. This is why the popularity of CAFE among the general public doesn't exactly jive with the monster SUV's that so many were buying until recently.

I Europe, as we all know, fuel costs much more, and this has affected the car buying habits of Europeans. With fuel approaching (and already sometimes hitting) $4 a gallon over here, I think more people will give up some of the room and power to which they've grown accustomed in order to get better mileage.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.