Originally Posted by metron9

“Care to try for 200 MPG? It has the size and comparable performance of a mid-sized SUV. It's not only possible; it's looking to be in production within the year.”

Well there you go, Private companies designing fuel efficient cars that are 5 times or more efficient than what some politician wants to mandate. Not subsidized by the government and just around the corner.
Problem solved.

However it doesn’t use gasoline at all it uses hydrogen fuel cells. My point is you can’t get 40mpg on Gasoline for a 4 passenger size car. We already have cars that get up to 60mpg that use hybrid-electric. My neighbor just bought a Toyota Prius. No government mandated 40mpg minimum standard law.

Here is a list of the top 10 cars now that you can buy. What I hear Obama saying is Americans won’t have the freedom to buy a big honking truck that gets 10mpg if he/she wants too.

From Transportation « Environment & the World

1 Toyota Prius (hybrid-electric) 60/51
2 Honda Civic Hybrid 49/51
3 Toyota Camry Hybrid 40/38
4 Ford Escape Hybrid FWD 36/31
5 Toyota Yaris (manual) 34/40
6 Toyota Yaris (automatic) 34/39
7 Honda Fit (manual) 33/38
8 Toyota Corolla (manual) 32/41
9 Hyundai Accent (manual) 32/35
Kia Rio (manual) 32/35
10 Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD 32/29
Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD 32/29

Originally Posted by presluc

I may be off subject here, if I am I opologise.
However I was glancing at your list and remembering how some people warned the Auto Companies of Detroit to get with the program and start concentrating on mpg, back in the late 60's.
I worked as assembly worker for 30+yrs,so I heard this conversation,k and now I am hearing it again. I see GMC,CHRYSLER,CHEVYS are gone by the wayside according to your list.
America is supposed to compete with other countries not just buy from other countries.

Originally Posted by Caltex

If people want that kind of fuel efficiency they have to not only pay more for the car, but also give up performance.

Originally Posted by Caltex

American car companies just don't build quality cars anymore. Toyota and Honda, which builds most of their U.S. cars in the U.S. are destroying the U.S. makers. They make a better product, for the same price, that lasts longer, needs less repairs, have better performance, and have all the same features.

I have an American car atm, and I can safely say it's the last American car I'll buy again, unless they get their acts together. It just needs to be repaired to often.

For example, the window motors have needed repair SIX times now since I got it four years ago. This is one among many issues. And I don't even drive often. Only on the weekends.

Originally Posted by presluc

If the factories were in America American auto workers would make good quality cars.
If you know anything about auto industry look to the designers and engeniers,and ceo's they make the decisions on what kind of car they want built, not the blue collar auto worker.
I suppose Americans don't make "quality "pet food anymore either compared to poisoned pet food.?
I suppose Americans don't make "quality safe" toys anymore compared to lead based toys?
A majority of stuff that is recalled or pulled off the shelf check where it was made, check where the parts came from?.

Originally Posted by prrriiide

From a gasoline engine, perhaps...

To the OP, almost 20 years ago, GM produced a working prototype of a 5-seat passenger vehicle (the Ultralite) that went from 0-60 in 7.3 seconds and got 84 mpg on a pure gasoline engine.

Originally Posted by Caltex

General Motors Ultralite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You're using misleading information. That is no standard automobile. It has a carbon fiber shell, a two stroke engine (hello crazy amounts of pollution), and other very expensive parts.

That doesn't show that we can make cars with great performance and MPG, low pollution, and just chose not to. It shows that using crazy expensive technology we can make cool stuff, albeit impractical, unsafe, and just for fun. Of course you can get great 0-60's with two stroke engines.