I don't feel that this is primarily the reason diesels aren't making it into
the US, but is a factor for certain.  My sense of it is that someone doesn't
want them here. Not sure how the whole argument would work, but somebody
doesn't. I know the EPA is further curtailing particulate emissions, which
is one of the immediate reasons the OEMs aren't shipping in, but there is
something else going on.  It makes sense for the OEMs to be gun-shy about it
since what CA tends to do wind up happening down the road nationwide. Watch
the bluetec diesel closely to see what happens, that will be  a bigger
determinant than watching foreign diesels, even in Canada.

With new CAFE requirements coming along with the new unified 35mpg
requirement up from the current 27.5/22.5 car/truck will be a big deal. Some
of them may try to achieve this with diesel, but I think we will be seeing
more GDI and stratified combustion control efforts to push gas to meet CAFE
requirements rather than trying to clean up diesels enough to do the job. My
sense is this is less expensive to begin with, and no consumer re-education
is required either.  So you know how that will go if it is the case.

Jim Akiba

-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Lewis [mailto:kdlewis@NORTHSTATE.NET]
Sent: 2007-06-22 1:48 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: What is it with the US? (No real van content)

The sentiment I get from a lot of people boils down to;" why ruin a
perfectly good vehicle by putting a diesel engine in it? ".  They have the
perception that they are a little noisy ,smelly and slow. Why should they
bother?
Ken Lewis
http://neksiwel.20m.com/