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I recall years ago when the Renault Dolphine was available for a brief time in the US. As a car, one thing that it demonstrated was that a vehicle suitable for Europe was not suitable for the US. In the United States we get in a car and will drive 600 to 1000 miles in a day (and arrive at our destination slightly tired). That same trip would take you across Europe. The Europeans must drive much less that we do. The United States need large cars, which will run 100,000 miles with out blinking an eye, and deliver the driver, passenger, and cargo to their destination in relative comfort and safety.

A smaller car, unless exceptionally well designed, will not do this.

There is the other question concerning safety. Although, I have always liked the Honda Civic, I lived in terror of having an accident with an 18 wheeler traveling 70 + mph on an interstate highway. The little car always looses. Take a trip down Route 95 from PA to FL sometime. You want to be in a large, safe car in case something happens.

The environmental anarchists appear to have the wheel at the present time, so only the Lord knows what will be jammed down our throat in the coming years as the Earth cools.

Well the more things “change” the more they stay the same. Anybody who buys the Republican-Democrat good cop bad cop routine is a fool.

The problem there is having 18-wheelers and passenger cars on the same roadway. This has been a problem for both passenger safety AND business trucking efficiency .... regardless of the ‘global warming’ issue.

The two types of traffic should have been separated long ago.

Although, I have always liked the Honda Civic, I lived in terror of having an accident with an 18 wheeler traveling 70 + mph on an interstate highway.

My first new car was a Honda 600; made the Civic look big. But it was very agile and between that and its size I avoided accidents a larger car wouldn't have -- including a freeway 20+ car pileup where I was able to snake my way past (still braking) without a scratch. The car behind tried to follow, but only plugged the hole.

OTOH, a year or two ago, on my way home from work, I saw a very large (Ford?) SUV that had been plowed into by a semi whose brakes had failed coming down a hill to the main road. No way could the SUV driver have lived through that.

I recall years ago when the Renault Dolphine was available for a brief time in the US. As a car, one thing that it demonstrated was that a vehicle suitable for Europe was not suitable for the US. In the United States we get in a car and will drive 600 to 1000 miles in a day (and arrive at our destination slightly tired). That same trip would take you across Europe. The Europeans must drive much less that we do. The United States need large cars, which will run 100,000 miles with out blinking an eye, and deliver the driver, passenger, and cargo to their destination in relative comfort and safety.

Sorry, but that's a load of hogwash. A Mercedes C-class (C250 Diesel) as sold in Germany gets roughly 46 mpg and lasts 250,000 miles. Also a Jetta TDI or a Jetta TSI (small gas engine with super- AND turbocharging) gets comparable mileage.

A smaller car, unless exceptionally well designed, will not do this.

Which is no excuse for designing cars shoddily, because there are indeed exceptionally well designed cars and the companies that produce them should reap the benefits.

There is the other question concerning safety. Although, I have always liked the Honda Civic, I lived in terror of having an accident with an 18 wheeler traveling 70 + mph on an interstate highway. The little car always looses. Take a trip down Route 95 from PA to FL sometime. You want to be in a large, safe car in case something happens.

Yeah, but that is a reason to buy a Volvo or a large Mercedes. An SUV is a rather dumb choice if you want safety. Off-road capability needs a stiff frame where otherwise you should have crumple zones. And guess what: In Europe they sell those large cars with very frugal 4-cylinder engines. There's even talk of a 4-cylinder (albeit twin-charged 200 hp and with almost as much torque as a Corvette) diesel S-Class.

The thing is: Customers should be offered choice and have the ability to "go green" if they want to and if they believe it saves them money. In the end it should be up to the market and not politics to decide. The PR mantra "You need an SUV so you can feel save for your family" is just as much bullsh*t as the "We should all drive Priuses, even if we can't fit our large families in them"-mantra. In the end it's about smartly designed, economic cars and stupid cars, and the smart carmakers should benefit. That's the true essence of capitalism, not Hummers and chrome at any cost.