[Vwdiesel] Polo TDI

[James Hansen]

> VWOA is missing the boat as we speak.
> 
> Best,
> Joe

Well said Joe.

Thing is, VWoA has been bit in the ass by your EPA everytime they do
something to get their diesels into the States.  the are so knee jerk
anti-diesel, the jeep CD's were legislated illegal before they made it
to market.

I'm not the most popular guy when I say this, but I'm really really
tired of having the entire north american auto market being driven by
the insane in LA.  If everyone that lives in high population density
wants to drive everywhere all the time one person per car, then they
SHOULD have smog, and I really don't see why screwing over the rest of
the continent regarding nitrogen emissions is a wise goal.  It does seem
to be the only goal, and nobody even questions it any more, and it 
really conflicts with any tangible and sensible use of resources. They 
just use the words "pollution" synonymously with nitrogen emissions, and 
everyone seems to accept it as given.

For example, we now use at least 12% more fuel in the new tier 3
emissions compliant large diesel engines.  I've heard figures in real
world conditions as high as 30%.  Why?  So a farmer in Bugtussle can 
drive a combine that has little in the way of smog producing nitrogen 
emissions, and it will alleviate the smog over the vast prairie... oh 
yeah, that's right, we don't get that here, we just have to meet the 
same emissions standard as LA just in case we drive our combines and 
tractors to LA.

Point is, big picture, we are increasing the reliance on foreign crude
to keep smog out of the large urban centers by focusing on only one
component of exhaust.  It seems to not matter to the legislators how
efficient your new escalade is, as long as it produces no NOX, 10mpg is
just great.

We'll never see a Lupo here, unless it is brought in as used in a few
years. It saddens me that people still rave about mileage figures that
are just beginning to approach what we as a group of VW diesel owners 
have been getting for years and years, in old outdated cars with about 
as low tech a motor as you can get.  Thing is they were engineered from 
a completely different perspective, one that is pretty rare nowadays- to 
be thrifty and functional primarily, not designed to win the bling award.

The stuff that is coming down the pipe in Europe recently, and moreso 
with the upcoming X prize for a high mileage performance car is really 
getting my hopes up.   The Loremo prototype has turned in 140mpg real 
world numbers so far.  It's looking good, just no chance of that 
happening here anytime soon.   I expect high mileage cars to be 
available in kit form someday, sooner than a manufacturer actually 
brings in production cars.
-james