American’s Most Dangerous Pickup – Dodge Ram 1500
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumer Reports, NHTSA crash safety ratings and JD Power’s Initial Quality Study all agree – the Dodge Ram 1500 is the most dangerous pickup in America.
A 24/7 Wall St. story concluded that the Dodge Ram 1500 is America's Most Dangerous Pickup.
Why Don’t Diesel Engines Sell in The USA?
Diesel engines are superior to gas engines in a few critical ways:
- Diesel engines are more efficient due to the thermodynamic benefits of their higher compression ratios
- They’re much more durable – diesel engines commonly run 2-3 times longer than a comparable gas engine
- They put out more torque for any given RPM than a similarly sized gas engine, meaning that a tiny little diesel engine can power a small car very efficiently (Ford’s euro-spec Fiesta diesel gets 60+ mpg with a 1.6L motor)
Point #1 and #3 are very important, as they are the main reasons that diesels are so popular around the world. In Europe, for example, about 50% of the vehicles (be they tiny little commuter cars or big trucks) are powered by diesel. Considering that the average cost of fuel in most Western European countries ranges between $6-8 per gallon (1.27-1.72 euros per liter), the fuel economy benefits of diesel engines make them a very popular option.
Yet in the United States, diesel vehicles are barely 5% of the market. Why? What is it about diesels that people in the USA dislike?
The answer? Emissions rules, the “carbon penalty,” and a myriad of other smaller issues keeps diesels from selling. What follows is an attempt to explain – comprehensively – why diesels don’t (and probably won’t ever) sell at any substantial volumes in the USA. Read more…
Study: Federal Incentives Vital for Alt-Fuel Cars Future
A recent study called the 2012 U.S. Automotive Industry Survey and Confidence Index by Booz & Co., has found that alternative fuel vehicles must have federal incentives if they are to have any future. Would you buy a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle without incentives?
Can alternative fuel vehicles survive without incentives?
Catalytic Converter Thieves Strike Again – Virginia Dealership
An Elizabeth City, Virginia dealership recently discovered that 15 new Toyota Tundras were hit by catalytic converter thieves. The loss is estimated at $72,000.
Catalytic converter thieves strike again stealing 15 from an Elizabeth City, Virginia dealership. What can you do to stop them?
Toyota’s Distributors – Do They Cost You?
In doing some research on the passing of Carroll Shelby, an interesting side note came about. Shelby was approached to be the first Toyota distributor in the U.S. The question that came up is why did Toyota need distributors and how does this affect your truck price today?
Do local Toyota distributors cause more harm than good by causing consumers to spend more for features they don't need?
