Apparently America still doesn't get it

NC was another state with the rationing in the 70's. I can remember taking my car on my allotted day and then taking my Mom's car for her. You sat in a long line inching up to the pump and finally getting your allotment.

It was a minor pain but I do not remember it being a really big deal since everyone was having to do it.

 

I do not think we have ever seen such an encompassing politically volatile situation in the middle east, in particular the state of play in Libya is less determined and many foreign oil operatives have already departed, maintenance of existing resources would already be a concern even if 50% were not in shut-down already. As the arab states appear to fall like dominoes there is still the concern over the large fields in Saudi Arabia

If that were not enough, the recovering financial situations in Europe and the US are still somewhat fragile and tenuous, while China's record run of 11%+ pa growth cycles down to something in the order of 8%

there is the one saving grace that the northern hemisphere is not in winter, one wonders what the military mindset would be in securing oil resources if that were not so.....

I see a lot of pressure on oil management in the coming months with consequences in the world parity pricing. If it weren't for an improving A$ situation for Australia we would be seeing something in the order of A$1.80 litre pricing instead of the A$1.40. Not to over sensationalise if it really spikes, and I mean really, au could see pricing way beyond $2 with ease pushing $3.50 in a calamity.

 

Like it or not.. big oil, and oil overall is still king..

 

Damn straight! It is what dictates our countries political decisions since so many of those in control have worked in the industry and probably will again when they leave office.

 

transcripts of conversation by co-worker as remembered happened this past Sunday'

co; gas is killing me!
me; what u drive?
co; Excursion
me; wow big car for commuting
co; need it, have 3 kids
me; that only car you have?
co; no have Accord
me; hubby drive it?
co; no, its my car and he wont touch it
me; so why you driving excursion
co; it has stereo and its new my car is 15 YO and i dont like it anymore. (probably bought Excursion for $10,000 off sticker summer 2008)
me; ok...ya...hmmm
co; he lets me drive it because he is on swing shift and watches kids. they never go anywhere so he does not need the car
me; hmmm...
co; gas is killing me
me; to myself "ya, i c that... looks like they got the brain cells first"

 

Tolstoy once wrote:

I have lived extensively in Europe and the US and will say that the ONLY two differences between people "getting it" in Europe vs "not getting it" in the US is government taxation of gasoline and the amount of space available for larger vehicles in the US vs Europe.

 

Agreed 100%. While there will always be a limited number of people who'll change their oil use habits for more or less altruistic reasons, for the vast majority price is the only motivator. True in Europe, true in the US, true in Australia, people are the more or less the same everywhere.

 

If petrol was as 'cheap' as it is in the US, I'd be driving a V6 something or other! As it isn't, I don't.

 

actually price is not the prime motivator. in all decisions, the options available control the choice we make.

Europe simply has much more highly efficient cars. i think if we had highly efficient turbo diesels that still gave that "car feel" and did 60 mpg, u honestly think they would not sell here?

the reason the Prius sells so well is because it stands alone. what other car has the stats? performance, options, etc?

now, there are several cars that have better numbers in one category, but fail miserably in others. so its a trade off, but there is no real trade offs here. so tell me, what other car is there?

now granted, this post is waaaay off topic, but the underlying meaning of what i am saying is that a LOT of SUV drivers are driving SUVs not by conscious choice...they were CONNED into getting them by the American Automotive Machine that puts profits above all else and there is much more profit in selling these behemoths.

we are stupid consumers. we believe that bigger is better and should be more expensive. we think the Prius is over priced because its a smaller car. we ignore the money it cost to develop and put that car on the road and we compare it to other similarly sized vehicles that cost $7,000 less.

but its ok to pay double that for a car that is nearly double in size and weight.

lets face it. we act like 4 year olds

 

But the type of cars that manufacturers choose to make and importers choose to import is driven by demand Dave. So whatever the reality is of whether or not these small efficient cars would sell well in the US, the manufacturers and importers obviously think they wouldn't. The largest single thing that would change that equation is higher gas prices.

 

Hmmm why does Europe have highly efficient cars? Think of all the English small block V8's - Range Rovers, TVR's, Bentley etc, but think how many of those models actually still sell over here! Not many. Five years ago you could buy V8 Range Rovers with ease, but now very few are petrol, with diesel versions being the big big sellers.

We have economical cars because we have to.

Your other point about why European cars don't sell in the US. Well, its market forces (other than emission legislation which can be adjusted if required). America loved the VW's of the 1960's and 70's because they were economical, yet now the versions you get are not even sold in Europe or in very small numbers if they are.

Take the new VW Passat - the version you get is bigger than the European version and has bigger, less economical engines. Why? I think we know. Fuel is expensive here so people are prepared to make compromises on their car to get better fuel economy, but these significant savings in Europe would be insignificant in the US.

 

It would depend on the price of diesel fuel, reliability, maintenance, repairs, car size and car cost. And of course the car would have to meet local safety and emissions standards.

The mantra of "Europe is offered better cars than the US" is no more true than the 100 mpg magic carburator (sp?). Have no doubt that VW would love to sell millions of its diesel cars in the US if it could. There is no conspiracy here, only regulations, and trade-offs determined by consumer preferences. The most obvious trade-off Europeans accept is smaller cars in return for higher fuel economy.

 

No you wouldn't Grumpy...you'd still have a Prius 'cause your customers like it and you love it more!

 

I'm sorry but this post doesn't make sense to me.

Nobody is CONNED into anything. It is true that Europe has had luxury cars with smaller engines more than the US, but companies did that because up until 6-7 years ago the price of gas was $1.33/ga. At the same time it was $4/ga in Europe. The price of fuel determined what cars were sold here and in Europe.

The second factor is car size. Simply put, unlike their American counterparts, European cities were built centuries ago and not for cars. There is much more space in the US to park and drive an SUV than anywhere in Europe. And obviously bigger car means smaller fuel efficiency.

 

u misunderstood what i said. i say that they WOULD sell and very well, but here they fail on pollution standards...or did they fail on someone's inability to use a calculator.

i find it hard to believe a 12 mpg car that burns unleaded is ok but a 60 mpg car because it burns diesel is not?

the Americanized versions of your cars dont sell all that well because they dont work. they are modified to run slower, less efficiently and cost more money.

how can that possibly be more attractive?

and as far as not being Conned??? oh cmon!! u really think that? most people are brainwashed by the crap they see on TV. trust me, they were conned BIGTIME while eating Apple Pie

 

I love that phrase, "...conned BIG TIME while eating Apple Pie." This will become my new expression of consumerism! May I steal it?

 

I drove a 1996 VW Passat TDI wagon for 11 years and averaged around 42 MPG lifetime. Sold it with 283,000 miles on it when I got my Prius. At the time there weren't many options in the VW lineup and I liked the versatility of the Prius.

That being said, I would LOVE for this type of vehicle to be offered here:

A4 Avant, 2.0 TDI, manual, quattro -- 41.3 MPG (US) combined

or, if you needed more room:

A6 Avant, 3.0 TDI, manual, quattro -- 35.2 MPG (US) combined

Sigh...out: