<p>and it’s beautiful.</p>
<p>[2014</a> Corvette Reveal | Chevrolet](<a href=“http://www.chevrolet.com/new-2014-corvette/]2014”>http://www.chevrolet.com/new-2014-corvette/)</p>
<p>Great. Hope DH doesn’t find out. Can you say “mid-life crisis”?</p>
<p>What a coup for Government Motors! </p>
<p>All we needed is one more uncomfortable, gas-guzzling road monster to save our auto industry. The next “reinvention” will probably be a 12 cyl extended Suburban. </p>
<p>How about some highly gas efficient cars … like they build in Europe? I rather own a Ford Focus Diesel than this monstrosity.</p>
<p>Detroit’s stupidity knows no limit.</p>
<p>I saw the article last night on USA Today:</p>
<p>[Corvette</a> celebrates 60th with stunning makeover](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/01/13/2014-chevrolet-corvette-detroit-show-miracle/1823951/]Corvette”>Corvette celebrates 60th with stunning makeover)</p>
<p>Nice, but I prefer the late 50s/early 60s Corvette to the newer incarnations. Now, if you want a truly beautiful sportscar, here you go.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.astonmartin.com/[/url]”>http://www.astonmartin.com/</a></p>
<p>30mpg highway mileage and 0-60 in under 4 seconds - a lot better than the minivan. I may have to develop a midlife crisis just so I can go test drive one.</p>
<p>We owned a red Corvette prior to the arrival of children. I say “we” but mean my husband. Talk about a bumpy ride but I realize that’s not the point. I remember driving it when I was close to nine months pregnant and a carload of guys did a u-turn to follow me. I seriously thought about stopping and heaving my oh-so-pregnant body out of the car but hated to mess with the illusion. I never missed it once we traded it in.</p>
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<p>They already tried that with the Volt and sell 1,500 a month even with the government paying people to buy them. </p>
<p>In order for a US car company to turn a profit, it has to be something exciting enough that you can charge a premium. This new stringray looks a little too boxy and Cameroeque for my liking but at least they are trying to add excitement.</p>
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<p>Two of the three US car companies (Ford and GM) are making a profit. The one with the most exciting premium product (Tesla) is a startup that is not yet making a profit.</p>
<p>They are making money on trucks and SUVs and losing money on ecoboxes. </p>
<p>To say “why not build more econoboxes” is a recipe to lose money. You cant out cheap the Korean companies. And you arent going to make money being the 15th Camry wannabe in a crowded market. </p>
<p>Take a look at the list of most profitable cars:
[12</a> most profitable cars - 1. Ford F-150 (1) - CNNMoney](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/autos/1111/gallery.most_profitable_cars/index.html]12”>12 most profitable cars - 1. Ford F-150 (1) - CNNMoney)</p>
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<p>The new Corvette is going on a diet, losing about 100 pounds of weight compared to the old one. Its V8 engine becomes a V4 when not needing full power. It will have a seven speed manual transmission. So it would not be too surprising if it had better performance on less fuel than the old one.</p>
<p>However, sports cars are not the only cars going on diets. The new Nissan Altima and Honda Accord achieve better fuel economy partly due to lower weight. And future large pickup trucks being designed are supposedly targeting a 700 pound weight reduction.</p>
<p>This is not really that surprising; $4 per gallon gasoline in 2008 (about a car design cycle ago) has stimulated the production of more fuel efficient cars in all classes now.</p>
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<p>At least in theory. Or the story they want us to believe. I am more inclined to adopt the “price to market” theory as carmakers are only introducing better models when the price of gas exceeds the limit for buyers. America has yet to send such signal and has gotten used to the 4 dollars per gallon. Hence, Detroit will continue to produce shoddy quality and rely on planned obsolescence. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Europeans who have had years of 8 to 10 dollars per gallon gas prices are sending a different signal and look at very efficient cars. And, surprise, surprise, the manufacturers react with models such as the Ford Focus Diesel that delivers a mileage performance we only can dream about in the US. </p>
<p>The net profit for each car is probably lower. The asinine pricing cum “gigantic discounts” is also rather unknown in Europe. </p>
<p>All in all, customers end up spending about the same on a lifecycle of ownership when factoring taxes and financial costs. However, we COULD and SHOULD have much better choices when it comes to efficiency in the US. But then, that is a word Americans forget as soon as they can afford bigger and more luxurious items, especially through borrowing. </p>
<p>We will only learn when it will be too late!</p>
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<p>Efficient cars are not a proxy for the Volt garbage. Look where it comes from!</p>
<p>The net profit for each car is probably lower.</p>
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<p>Last I heard, U.S. automakers were losing money on their European operations.</p>
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To be fair, Europe also has the big BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and the like vehicles. They’re not all in the diesel Focus range and they’re not all econo-boxes.</p>
<p>I’ll have to wait until I see a convertible version of the new vette in person to see if I like it but my guess is that I will. I won’t buy it though - the mileage is fine with me (who’s looking for or cares about 50mpg in a car like the vette?) but it’ll cost more than I’m willing to pay for a car whether I like it or not. Maybe I’d be willing to buy a used one 7 years from now when it’s 7 years old and the price more reasonable.</p>
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<p>Comparing the 2008 to 2013 car models’ EPA fuel economy, we see that $4 per gallon has stimulated consumer demand for fuel efficient cars and car company responses:</p>
<p>Chevrolet Cobalt/Cruze: 26 -> 30
Chevrolet Malibu: 25 -> 26
Ford Focus: 28 -> 31
Ford Fusion: 23 -> 28
Honda Accord: 26 -> 30
Honda Civic: 29 -> 32
Hyundai Elantra: 28 -> 32
Hyundai Sonata: 24 -> 28
Toyota Camry: 25 -> 28
Toyota Corolla: 29 -> 29</p>
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<p>Yes, $8 per gallon does stimulate consumer demand for even more fuel efficient cars. However, be careful about comparing fuel economy on different countries’ ratings, since the methods of testing and reporting are not the same.</p>
<p>UCB, on an anecdotal basis, I did not use the posted “Ford Focus: 28 -> 31” to compare to the real life gas mileage I got when renting a Ford Focus Diesel in Europe. </p>
<p>I saw with own eyes how different the mileage was --and my eyes also counted the euros needed-- from the US advertised mileage. </p>
<p>I realize that they are different cars for different markets, but the question remains why would one model be so popular in Europe and considered “non grata” on our shores? </p>
<p>By the way, this is the car I drove in its turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter diesel inline-4 version. </p>
<p>[2012</a> Ford Focus Drive: 2012 Ford Focus Review – Car and Driver](<a href=“http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-ford-focus-drive-2012-ford-focus-review]2012”>http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-ford-focus-drive-2012-ford-focus-review)</p>
<p>I did much better than the advertised European FUEL ECONOMY of 3944 mpg, as I religiously stuck to the computerized economy driving. I went easily over 50 mpg --albeit with a lot of highway driving and little city touring.</p>
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<p>Absolutely true, but many of the high-end luxury vehicles come with highly efficient engines. Even after adding the environment taxes to the diesel engines that were/are such darlings, the cost per mile remains (relatively) low. Many, many of the fancier vehicles are company perks and driven by middle to high level managers. </p>
<p>And the European environment is one that attempts to punish the consumption of “luxury” at every possible angle and with blunt force.</p>
<p>And if your point is that higher fuel prices stimulate consumer demand for, and car companies selling, more fuel efficient cars (which most people agree with), then why are you trying so hard to disagree? It is no surprise that $4 per gallon stimulated higher fuel economy in the US compared to the previous $2 per gallon, while $8 per gallon in Europe stimulated even higher fuel economy there.</p>
<p>50mpg (US gallons) on the highway is not all that difficult with a diesel car, though the choice of such in the US is limited, probably due to market demand (basically only VW seems to bother).</p>
<p>My last rental in Europe was an Audi A5 diesel that got such good mileage I thought the fuel gauge might not be working properly at first. I never measured exactly what it got but it was good.</p>
<p>On the big Mercs/Beemers/etc. - they have plenty that don’t get great mileage, those ones passing you on the Autobahn like you’re standing still while you’re driving about 100-120mph, are luxo cars, etc. but you’re right that ‘car allowances’ and ‘fuel cards’ seem to be more common there than here for certain employees and those people are probably less concerned about mileage when it’s on someone else’s Euro or GBP. It seems to me that some of the people there, especially in Germany, are willing to pay more money for their vehicles than some people here (I’m very much generalizing about a few observations of people I know there).</p>
<p>I have had a Ford Focus for almost 2 years–actually it’s my company car, so pretty much free. I hate it. It rides like a tin can bouncing down the highway. CHEAP in every sense of that word.</p>