At least one third of new car buyers in America considered fuel economy an important factor.. Due to the preoccupation today with smog, global warming and America’s dependence on international 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. There was also a car that looked a lot like the Geo Metro and weighed 1000 pounds, which boasted 75 miles per gallon gas mileage. Balanced growth of the vehicle, the engine that had 3 cylinders, was dropped because, in order to meet American safety principles, it had to be reinforced which added 200 pounds to its weight.
It was certainly not the only protype developed by GM which ended up on the scrapheap. The GM Lean Machine of 1982, which could get 80 mpg, and the GM Ultralite which achieved a fabulous 100 mpg, were two of these vehicles. GM was offering cars to the buying public in 1992 that did 20 mpg, while Honda was getting 50 mpg with their Civic VX, but right then GM already covertly had cars doing 100 miles per gallon. If perhaps cars that had been able to get 100 miles per gallon had already been developed way back then, why is it that such cars are not being sold today?
It’s really a peculiar phenomenon that some companies market traditional vehicles in the US, but sell different, more efficient cars in other countries. Buyers in Japan and Europe have for many years now been able to get cars that do 70 miles per gallon and more. A case in point of a vehicle never offered within the US and capable of 78 mpg, is the Lupo by Volkswagen. A vehicle called the Jazz elsewhere in the world was unveiled in the States in 2007 as the Fit. You will find economy-boosting selections with the Jazz in Japan, like a smaller engine and other ways to reduce consumption, but not so with the Fit in the US.
In The United States the manufacturers point out they have to build big cars simply because that is what the American public wants. Not surprisingly they earn big money on SUVs, and virtually nothing on a small two-person commuter. Commercials have convinced the citizens of the US that Tanks on Wheels are an absolute must to have. Because options have never been presented reveals where the big companies have their interests. The top in fuel economy may have been General Motors, but they prefer to remain the leader in SUVs instead. The rest of the car makers did the same thing by producing fuel-efficient cars, and then denied them to Americans.
We live in a world that has fought wars over oil, that has been polluted, and car makers have never even given the choice to people in this country of fuel-efficient cars. Just how many people would’ve loved having a car that got good gas mileage, and were never presented with the option? It’s possible that it is the perfect time to get those previous plans back out and build a vehicle that has already been built before. Find out more escalade rims.