80 mpg . . .

[ZYAL8R]

Originally Posted by franknbeans

"Goverment won't allow it"

Yet they bitch about giving loans to the auto industry. One main issue being the cars should have better MPG.

????

Agree w/all the above and more. After 100 years building cars, our beloved automakers know how to make a gallon of gas last. So what's the holdback? Got to be the G-Man. It may sound far-fetched to some, but really think about how big oil affects the bottom line of soooo many corporations and industries. Simple truth is, when gas prices go up, everybody makes money in the corporate world. I mean look at what the grocers did w/food prices once the price of gas went up, all the while saying it was only the cost of the transport making the rise. Well I'll be da**ed! Has anyone seen the price of ANY goods go down since the price of gas is at an ALL-TIME LOW? Anybody?

Quick answer to that is no. Seems to me like the shareholders have all gotten used to the big profits, all b/c of BIG OIL. Transporters, shippers, plastic makers, metal industries, and even electric companies (of all people) all blame the oil/gas prices on their sudden upswing of prices. When really it's all "supposed to be reliant on the price of oil going up or down". Oil up, other product prices up. Oil down, WTF? Where's the break?

If gov't. wasn't in bed w/ big oil, then why does BIG OIL get to reap whirlwind billions of profit quarter after quarter even w/legislative inquiries and STILL no change whatsoever? Gov't. has a love/hate relationship with big oil. Kinda like this. Love it when their bottom line us up, hate it when we complain, love it when they can keep "stickin' it to the man", namely us.

Make no mistake about my rant here, I KNOW how it all works, but that doesn't mean I like it. I don't. It makes me even madder when all those "higher than thou" legislators bitched about the BIG AUTO execs actually using some of that high-priced jet fuel to make their meetings, when you and I know that they do the same dam thing but using tax-payer money to do it. And then gripe about wanting more MPG out of a car? Talk about biting the hand that feeds ya!:middlefinger:

[chevydude26]

blame the environemental wackos like jimmy carter who started to put forth regulations in the 70's

government limits what our car companies can do

i can gaurantee you f-bod will co-sign my statement

also in europe they pay the equivalent of like 8 dollars per gallon because they have a crazy tax on gas there to pay for their socialist healthcare

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by chevydude26

blame the environemental wackos like jimmy carter who started to put forth regulations in the 70's

government limits what our car companies can do

How does that fit in? Those environmental nuts would encourage high-mpg cars...at whatever stupid cost.




I've just got one issue with the Big Oil conspiracy theories....what piece of legislation, or rule in some mandate written by the Government...is preventing the Big Three from making high-mpg cars here in the US?

[Mosher]

There is a very straight forward reason why the government would be interested in Gas prices, amount of gas sold, etc....

Taxes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_tax#United_States

Quote
"Fuel taxes in the United States vary by state. For the first quarter of 2008, the average state gasoline tax is 28.6 cents per US gallon, plus 18.4 cents per US gallon federal tax making the total 47 cents per US gallon (12.4 ¢/L). For diesel, the average state tax is 29.2 cents per US gallon plus an additional 24.4 cents per US gallon federal tax making the total 53.6 cents US per gallon (14.2 ¢/L).[5]"

Uhhh..... Naw, I can't understand WHY they wouldn't want us to have more fuel efficient vehicles. we can pay as much as nearly a dollar in taxes for every gallon.....

That said. How many 422HP V8's in a 3800lb car can get 24mpg? I also believe that is likely undercutting too. The new EPA system they put in I really think is really conservative alot of the time.

[Camaro_Corvette]

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

All three cars were diesel... or at least two of them were.
- Xanthos

Diesel!!!

[ZYAL8R]

B/c it took so long for me to write the above rant, and after reading all the posts, (afterp my gripe) I should now say that NO, I did not watch the video. And I do not believe that we should even expect to get that kind of MPG, BUT, it would be nice! The little thing that GM has in it's favor at this point, is AFM. However, if a person like a Camaro owner, or Chally fan, or Stang Gang memeber wants to buy a muscle car, then by all means, let that SOB fly w/o a net, or any MPG restriction.

[ZYAL8R]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

How does that fit in? Those environmental nuts would encourage high-mpg cars...at whatever stupid cost.




I've just got one issue with the Big Oil conspiracy theories....what piece of legislation, or rule in some mandate written by the Government...is preventing the Big Three from making high-mpg cars here in the US?

B/c of the Love/Hate relationship theory of mine, I don't think there is any madate, but rather behind-the-scenes lobbying

[Kyle2k]

Originally Posted by chevydude26

blame the environemental wackos like jimmy carter who started to put forth regulations in the 70's

government limits what our car companies can do

i can gaurantee you f-bod will co-sign my statement

also in europe they pay the equivalent of like 8 dollars per gallon because they have a crazy tax on gas there to pay for their socialist healthcare

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7988

Here's a link for you. I don't care of f-bod would shake a magic wand and make everything you ever wished to come true. However, he follows the rules. You don't.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by ZYAL8R

B/c of the Love/Hate relationship theory of mine, I don't think there is any madate, but rather behind-the-scenes lobbying

The government lobbying the car companies??! And then demanding high-mileage through laws? mmmmm...

[ZYAL8R]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

The government lobbying the car companies??! And then demanding high-mileage through laws? mmmmm...

Well sure. Goes like this. G-"We will pass 'some' legislation, but let's not go overboard".

[Matrix]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

govt wont allow it. they make too much money on gas. why would they want us using less of it? there would be alot of people out of jobs too.

You may jest!! But you have no idea how close to the truth you really are. I would watch your back from now on!

[chevydude26]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

How does that fit in? Those environmental nuts would encourage high-mpg cars...at whatever stupid cost.




I've just got one issue with the Big Oil conspiracy theories....what piece of legislation, or rule in some mandate written by the Government...is preventing the Big Three from making high-mpg cars here in the US?

its got to be the emission diesel standards

I read that ford has a 70 mpg car called the fiesta and they aren't allowed to sell it here because of regulations

f-bod himself has said that regulations add on costs and pains in the production process

a lot of it had to do with not polluting the air which would probably explain why we can't use diesel and then you have things like c.a.f.e standards that force car companies to have to add costly additions to the vehicle to meet those standards...

its just regulation because there is no magic patent or techonology that our guys don't have access to that the europeans do

[ZYAL8R]

QUOTE=Matrix;236776]You may jest!! But you have no idea how close to the truth you really are. I would watch your back from now on![/QUOTE]



Yeah, here comes you know what.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I think you're missing the point, Chevydude. The regulations imposed by the government demand the production of "greener", higher-mileage cars. HOWEVER,

To meet these goals means cars will get more expensive to US buyers. Why? Because those "miracle" cars over in Europe aren't cheap! So companies like GM have to try to budget-build these demanded high-mileage cars, which reduces profit.

That's what Fbodfather and others mention now and again about regulations. That they put GM at a disadvantage because thanks to low gas prices, the cars the gov't wants them to build aren't desireable to consumers. They exist though. The fiesta is one. And soon we'll have the Cruze and Volt.

As for the diesel -- you might be surprised how clean diesel is. But again -- our culture is not accepting of a diesel car. Not to mention it'd be more expensive than a gas-equivalent.


One last thing before I turn in. We bought 142.3 billion gallons of gasoline in 2007 (which was the highest year to date). at $.18 a gallon; the federal government makes roughly $26 billion. That's pocket change hardly worth mentioning when your an entity taking in Trillions of dollars a year. The government not allowing high-mpg cars theories just don't make sense....

http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html