D4D Diesel for USA?

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by Lewis

Realistically the Japanese may have a point. Most Americans would never accept the Yaris as a family car and therefore would be unwilling to pay a family car price for what a Euro spec Yaris would cost. So we get the cheap decontented one. All the manufacturers seem to have concluded that about the USA market- look at the new "improved" $15,000 Jetta.

It may well take the same $9/gallon gas (which we all hope is well into the future) to get people over here to pay $20,000 for a nicely equipped diesel Yaris. Even Mini which seems to be able to command those kind of prices for a small car hasn't brought over their diesel model.

I think we can all thank Oldsmobile for ruining the reputation of diesel car engines here in the USA. Most Americans probably think diesel engines are inferior so why pay more for something that they think is worse?

Education is expensive but ignorance is even more costly!

I don't think many Americans consider a Yaris to be a family car. I seriously doubt that most would consider the car sporty. It is what it is, inexpensive transportation.

If Toyota offered a diesel option that got 70mpg for an extra 2k, I would have been all over it, regardless of the power it offered compared to it's gas competitor. But you'll never see that option in a Toyota parking lot when right next to that pretty line of Yarii, you'll see a shiny Prius alternative right across from it. Make no mistake ... they did attempt to upsell me to the then 23k Prius.

It just makes no sense for them to even build a Prius if they offer a 70mpg diesel option, even if they sold it at 5k over the gas option. How could they offer a car that cost less and got 20mpg more than a car that requires batteries that eventually have to be replaced?

They can't and they won't, so long as there is a decent profit margin in the Prius.