http://www.thedieseldriver.com/2013/...roduction-car/









Gotta admit thats pretty impressive

 

Will never see US sale.

It WILL be stopped like every other massive MPG machine they have over seas.

The 70+ MPG Fiat 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 500?

74 mpg BlueMotion VWs?

etc....

Oh, and those are Gas engines, not hybrids.



Oh, you want a hybrid? How about the Aptera s2? Oh, yes, thats right, they're stuck in development trying to get it DOT legal. Considering the full gas 55 mpg version was for a sale for a while, and NOW the NHTSA has an issue with it? Hmmm......

 

You would think that in a free nation would be able to buy any car we desire

 

That is a great feat, no really, that's quite an achievement. Not entirely flawless though. Can you imagine one doing 160k miles of courier driving in african summers? Me neither. Would you buy a 10 year old one of these as a daily driver? Me neither.



It's laughable when they offer such cars in Australia though. We generate over 95% of our power from burning coal.

 

Coal is filthy, from extraction to burning. Same for oil. Natural gas burns clean but mostly comes along with oil extraction efforts as a bonus chemical. Ergo, this is a fossil-fuel-fired car. In the USA (or Australia), it would be a COAL fired car.



Also, batteries tend to not give as much energy during their lifespan as went into making them. Then you have to buy a new battery, at about 1/4 the cost of the car.



BAD for the environment.



Now, how many MPG does it get when it is past the last mile of electric charge? That's where the innovation lies, because hybrids are stupid.

 

Go after an R32/33/34 skyline, or Mazda Eunos Cosmo, or Porsche 959, etc...

 

We have to wait 25 years till we can import a car with no restrictions

that means just one more year for the R32 Skyline GTR (at least the first year)



we can import the 959 as of 1999 from what I've read.

 

If you plan to pay an RI to upkeep it and can manage to less than 5000 miles annually, sure you can import a 959. Hell almost any low production exotic.



Make no mistake, the Feds will find SOME reason not to allow skylines on our streets. There will be a few to sneak in and get grandfathered, but I doubt very many people will pay the import feeds or be willing to go through the hassle/wait; and on top of that with the ICE attacks... yeah. We'll have to see. Besides, not many people who have the money to upkeep one will be willing to pay the exorbitant cost just to get one. That why you don't see many DR30s, 31s and K&Ms running around. I've pondered getting a DR30, but to do it right (bond release, fed legal) is close to 10k, and for a car as old as I am, that's a sh*t load. Its not as easy as people make it out to be.

 

Guys, be calm. Think about a fratboy in a KA24E 240sx doing open diff burnouts at walmart - then just change the exhaust note. That is the reality of skylines. I know that skylines seem exotic, but the reality is that it's a ~2800 lb coupe that will run a low 15 quarter.



Wanna swap car markets? I'll trade my access to jap cars for your cheap everything and interesting domestics.

 

Skyline is just the 2f2f fanboy dreamboat, but the historical significance can't be ignored. Personally I'm just a huge fan of the technology and the R32 body styling. Same with the Renault Clio V6 and Eunos Cosmo, which both also share a NHTSA blacklist, they're just not as well known. The Skyline is just a common ground, for all it really matters we could be talking about Kei cars like the AZ-1 or Honda Beat(which was imported to Canada BTW.)



In fact, Autozams are another great case-in-point! We saw the MX-3, but in a less efficient 4 cyl because the k-engine didn't have "enough" emissions to meet requirements... Yes, in the early 90s and again mid 2000s the k-engines were deemed unfit for highway use because of power low power and abnormally low emissions. Now mind you, the kei engine produced the same highway speeds as the first generation E87 1-series BMW, but for some reason that was okayed by the NHTSA. Mind you we're taking about a .6L 3 banger vs. a 1.6L 4 cyl with roughly similar performance numbers, just differing fuel consumption... er... exhaust emissions. Yeah, there isn't a soul that can convince me there is no politics involved.







Also, in 2016 I am pondering getting an AZ-1 or cappuccino imported. IF the price is right.... (expect 10k starting for any properly bonded import.) Likely not going to happen, especially with the going cost of tibs vs. grey market sexy imports.