Why Might It Be That People Cannot Create Fuel-Efficient Vehicles?
February 7th, 2012 yourmom
Energy economy was thought to be a significant factor in their selection of a new car by a minimum of 1/3 of buyers in America. Given the preoccupation today with pollution, global warming and America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil, it’s actually shocking to learn that as long ago as 1992 a car that got 100 miles to the gallon was built by General Motors. Another vehicle, the GM TPC, which looked a lot like the Geo Metro, weighed only 1000 pounds and could get 75 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, in order to meet American safety regulations, the 3-cylinder vehicle required reinforcement weighing 200 pounds, which led to further development being discarded.
It’s quite shocking that this was not the only GM prototype that was built, only to be thrown out later. Some of these were the 1982 GM Lean Machine which did 80 miles per gallon, and the GM Ultralite which did 100 mpg. When Honda in 1992 reached 50 mpg with the Civic VX, GM was selling cars that got 20 mpg, while in the background they had vehicles capable of 100 mpg. Undoubtedly this begs the question as to the reasons these cars that are efficient at 100 mpg are not available to the public.
One more baffling thing is that many manufacturers, while selling fuel-eficient vehicles in foreign countries, are selling traditional gas guzzlers in the US. Vehicles that achieve more than 70 mpg have been sold in Europe and Japan for a number of years. For instance, the Volswagen Lupo has never been marketed in the united states – this is a car that gets 78 mpg. In 2007, Honda in america released the FIT, in other places known as the Jazz. In Japan the Jazz models include one with a smaller engine, plus there are ways to improve fuel consumption, but with the Fit in the US not even the option of a smaller engine is offered.
Auto manufacturers in the usa explain to their public that they create big autos because they, the public, love big autos. It is apparent that manufacturers don’t generate a lot of money selling a small 2-person commuter vehicle, but they certainly do selling big SUVs. A Tank on Wheels is the thing to have – that’s the message that the commercials beguile the American public with. Fuel-saving options from the big companies are uncommon, so it’s pretty easy to deduce where their interests lay. Instead of being synonymous with SUVs, GM today could have been known as a leader in fuel-economic vehicles. Many other manufacturers have also developed fuel-efficient cars, but they’ve all done the same as GM by not offering them to Americans.
Despite global warming and the incredible pollution of the world environment, US car makers have yet to react positively and at least give Americans the option of a fuel-efficient car. The question comes up: how many Americans would’ve been thankful for the option of acquiring a car with good gas mileage but weren’t ever offered it? Maybe the instant has come to restart building those cars that were developed only to be abandoned all those years ago.
Watch gmc wheels.
Entry Filed under: Gmc Wheels
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