How Jeep Ended Up With A GM Diesel

You guys are where we were 31 years ago with diesels. It didn't take.

Have you considered that the desirability of available diesels has something to do with their relative scarcity? Jetta diesels have a high take rate relative to gasoline Jettas. Jettas don't have a high take rate relative to the Corollas, Civics, Focuses, and Cruzes that dominate their segment. F150s, Siverados, and Sierras in their half ton models dominate the sales charts. None of them are diesels. 72% of diesels sold in the US are VWs, but VWs have a 3% US market share. How big of a market share would diesels need for their scarcity to cease being an advantage come resale time? How many diesels would it take to cause diesel fuel prices to skyrocket in the US? We ship refined diesel to Europe now. If we use it all here, their prices will rise too. I've no clue why people outside of the US lobby for this to happen, but they do.

Won't happen, California is all by itself the sixth largest economy in the world and anything that fits California regs also fits US regs, and California regs are dominated by the needs/wants of Los Angelas which sits in a unique microclimate that serves as a natural smog-trap, and a culture legendary for self-absorption so why pursue regs that will inconvenience Los Angelenos and help their problems when they can pursue regulations that screw everybody over?

@Les ++ I've often dreamt of a post-earthquake America.

@Les Until California breaks away from the US (whether through succession or earthquake) it will still be part of the largest economy in the world. California can influence, but it doesn't have as much influence that Canada has on the world and the populations are similar. I think when it comes to emission controls California really doesn't impact what the UNECE is doing, or even the Japanese. More like they have influence on where California is heading. In a couple of years the US and UNECE regulations will be similar and I think California's influence was there, but marginal.

@Big Al Er.. what? Wait, no.. I think you miss-heard me. I'm not talking about Canada or Australia or Japan or anything of the sort, I'm talking strictly about the US. California.. BY ITSELF.. is the Sixth Largest economy... In The World [/Clarkson] It is, in turn, part of The largest economy in the world.. The way the Federal system in the US operates, making products that meet California's more stringent standards produces products which by default meet the standards of the US as a whole. The Federal Government currently Can't (Or won't) tell California, "Your standards are unreasonable, move them more in-line to the national average." (another thing we Americans take for granted people from other countries know about us, that the individual States in the US can each impose their own regulatory standards on.. EVERYTHING. If those standards are at or higher than and do not contradict the national standards then as far as our central government is concerned everything's gravy.) No company is going to aim for a standard which aims to hit the US sans California and cut the world's sixth largest economy out of the bigger pie they're trying to get a piece of. It's nothing to do with California somehow stepping in and lobbying international standards, California can and DOES set it's Own standards within it's state borders and the state is such a big fat hairy economic deal in the global market that those standards have much wider ranging consequence than simply within California's state-lines. And that's why we don't do the whole 'Diesel' thing so much in the US.

@Les, This State within a State(Big Al probably would not know this) but Swcharzenegger signed an agreement on behalf of California with the State of NSW as regards some trade agreement I cannot see why the other 50 States do not organize a separate deal, rather than have the Tail wag the dog.

@RobertRyan Because they're not the sixth largest economy in the world, not even close. They don't have nearly the economic nor political clout to make their own deals, so they just stick with letting the federal government handle the whole 'trade with other nations' thing. As for automotive manufacturers, it's just not economic sense for them to make cars that pass in 49 states when it means the wealthiest state is left out of the running, making their own deal just for that state would have all it's own hurdles and jurisdictional challenges, when they could just aim for all 50 states compliance and the only sales they'd lose would be from poor people anyway.

@Les, Sounds like a pretty distorted market.I can see why people do not like California. I noticed States in the US had differing standards for a lot of things, commonality is the exception rather than the rule. .

@Les In Australia it used to be the same as long as the states met the national standards. But we are finding out it's cheaper and easier to manage one set of standards, hence Australia's inclusion into the UNECE. Even schooling in Australia will be one standard so if a family moves the kids can slide right back into where they left off in another state. Even licencing is going to become standardised. I do know California has differing emission regulations or 'harsher' emission control. It was like that back in the 70s as well. LA sits in a hole like Sydney. Sydney, Tokyo and LA I think had some of the worst photo chemical pollution back in those days.

@Les California has unique issues with prevailing winds from the west that sort of pile up the smog in the valleys where a huge share of the population lives. The pollution is trapped in the basins by the high, inland mountains. The LA basin is currently home to 18 million people, the SF basin another 7 million and San Diego 3 more million. LA smog levels have been so bad, our representative to the California Air Resources Board told me it sometimes has hurt to breath the air outdoors! I think pollution that severe is rare these days, though I have no current knowledge. As a result of unique and severe pollution concerns, the state asked for special allowance to create their own emissions standards many years ago. US regulations allow only two choices, "California" emissions, or Federal (49 state) emissions. Some systems can comply with both, and are called "National" emissions compliant. Emissions are the only motor vehicle certification requirements that do not have just one single, Federal standard. All safety and fuel economy standards are applied to all states. No other state is allowed to establish separate standards. They must choose either the 49 state, Federal standards, or they can also opt for the "California" standards. New York, Massachusetts and other states currently require "California" emissions certified vehicles also.