Why American Auto Makers can't (don't) make a 50+ mpg vehicle.?

Question

It's obvious American automakers are finally getting the idea of the subcompact cars, a market the foriegn automakers have dominated for years, and the American companies are finally warming up to hybrid vehicles. However the hybrid technology for American Auto makers is far inferior to the japanese counterparts. Chevrolet now has a hybrid version of the Malibu, but the hybrid Malibu only gets 2 mpg better fuel economy then the non hybrid powered Malibu. What is the problem with American Auto Manufacturers? Do they not get it? The Market is demanding better fuel economy in there vehicles and Ford, Chrysler and GM are ignoring us.

Answer 1

Theymay not be ignoring you, but technology takes time to develop. Believe it or not, hybrid cars are more expensive for people to drive. While they costs less in gas, they can be higher to insure and the cost of purchasing in terms of an increase in payment is higher than what you save on gas. Most hybrids have be owned for 8 years for the owner to actually be saving money by owning them.

But the automakers are building to demand. People in the US want bigger cars. They are a status symbol here. We can't put or families into the subcompact not much bigger than a riding lawmower vehicles they have in Europe. Public transporation here is far from wha it is in europe, so we have our cars. We spend so much time in them we want to b comfortable and luxurious.

And there is only so much they can do to improve fuel economy without raising prices. We want to pay less for a car, but get better gas mileage. We want them to spend millions on developing technology, then give it to us for free. It will never happen.

Answer 2

To be fair, Ford did make a pretty good effort at developing hybrids-- They developed the Power Split Device system for their Escape Hybrid independently, and it turned out it was very similar to the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The Ford PSD system can be used in smaller cars to get better fuel economy, but by the time it came out (2004), it was too late-- Toyota has already cornered the market on sedan hybrids with the Prius. So Ford decided to stick the PSD system in the Escape Hybrid to appeal to American consumers who want a reasonably big car and still get good gas mileage (and it does-- The Escape Hybrid 2WD gets 34mpg EPA combined, the best in its class of SUVs).

Rumor has it Ford is going to put its PSD drive into the Ford Fusion. That would be very nice (should get 40mpg or more). Don't know if Ford will go through with it though-- There are already two other PSD-equipped sedans (Toyota Camry Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid) so that market segment is crowded.

Chevrolet is trying to break into the arena with the Chevy Volt, and that will be an electric car with a gasoline generator (the gasoline engine does not power the road wheels directly at all). They are trying to leapfrog hybrids, but that has its own developmental hurdles, so don't expect to see it until 2010 or later.

Meanwhile, if you want to support American hybrids, the best one is the Ford Escape with its PSD system. And, right now Uncle Sam has a $3,000 tax rebate for anyone who buys the 2-wheel-drive model. ($2,200 tax rebate for the 4WD version).

Answer 3

Making a vehicle more fuel efficient typically robs it of its acceleration and top speed. Great feats of engineering and research are needed to preserve performance while creating an efficient automobile. This means it is expensive, and the net result is a car that won't perform as well as others and saves on gas. Americans like fast performant cars, ones that are typically fuel efficient are not, and therefore do not sell well in this country. That answers your question about why they've done "nothing". Japan subsidized the R&D costs for Japanese automakers to level the playing field, creating an atmosphere where its car manufacturers could devote funds towards researching fuel efficient vehicles. The result is that Japanese automakers are sitting pretty with fuel efficient cars that perform decent enough to sell worldwide, even in the US. If we want any hope of doing the same, we'll have to do something similar. A bailout is one option, but I like the idea of grants and subsidies to reimburse R&D costs better.

Answer 4

Pressure from the oil companies possibly. I don't know though, the 'market demand' you speak of, is that just the greenies and the frugal people? I'm one, but we still seem like a small percent of this SUV nation. Public ignorance / indifference would actually be a prime or a secondary cause if i had to guess.. i watched a youtube video, filmed at a wreck yard, where they receive hundreds of new electric/hybrids a day, to be wrecked.. Who would be motivated to do that I wonder. (?)

Answer 5

No one seems to want to attack big business. Just keep watching as gas prices rise. They may be forced into adopting the concept you speak about or go broke one or the other. The old supply and demand rule! I choose to vote for someone who doesn't take donations from lobbyists.

Answer 6

Do the words Chevron, Shell Oil, Union 76 mean anything to you?