<VV> re:48 mpg VW diesel...no Corvair

airvair airvair at richnet.net
Wed Jun 27 10:32:55 EDT 2007


Actually, the VW diesel sold better than the gas versions. They've been
on a tight days-supply for several years. The reason they (and Mercedes,
the only other diesel passenger car seller in the US) have had to
discontinue their sales for a year is because of hangups with emissions,
and the high-sulfur US fuels. The '08 versions, due out around January,
are going to be a lot cleaner, but will have to use urea injection. The
US car makers would like to do it without the urea.

As far as the US market for diesels go, GM poisoned the well with their
ill-fated Olds diesels several decades back. The public (in general) has
had a bad taste for diesel cars ever since, which has allowed the
Europeans to lead the way, with low-sulfur fuel and great-running
passenger diesels. Now the US car makers are having to go to Europe to
get the technology.

Maybe with the gas prices of late and the talk of alternate fuels, the
US public will shake off their GM-diesel hangover and embrace them.

-Mark

"mark at noakes.com" wrote:
> 
> Even VW quit selling diesels in the US momentarily since almost no one
> would buy them but they are now bringing them back this fall I think...
> found out when I checked on a diesel wagon for my wife...which she
> would have nothing to do with anyway.
> 
> And Chevy makes many car diesels for the rest of the world...down to a
> 1.6 liter version for little cars.  The US consumer has never been much
> interested before with cheap gas.
> 
> VW has not shown much interest in hybrids since they have demonstrated
> that they can do a super + turbo charged 1 liter diesel engine that
> delivers 100hp and alternately have been able to take prototype diesels
> into the 80 - 100 mpg range.
> 
> I'll quit now before I get an irate comment for being off topic...
> 
> Mark Noakes
> 
> ----Original Message----
> Subj: &lt;VV&gt; re:48 mpg VW diesel
> 
> OWCH.
> 
> a buddy brought his vw '06 turbo diesel around to humble me .. it
> worked!!
> This thing is a very nice coach .... not a little butt cruncher like
> gm
> would build, it's bigger than a toyota corolla .......but of course,
> his
> instant readout/fuel mileage cd screen ..... reading up to 65 mpg when
> he
> cooled it a bit .....  really hurt me !!!  cruized at about 44 mpg
> ....
> 
> Especially interesting when he pulled onto the main highway and burnt
> a
> little rubber for my benefit ( from a standing start ... )
> whizzzzzz.....
> 
> Go get a ride in one of these ... and then call your congressman and
> ask him
> where the heck the ford and chevvvy versions are ....
> 
> oh, it didn[t sound or smell like a turbo diesel either ...
> 
> regards, ken campbell, iowa.



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