>Thanks for the info. If true, this would fill in a gap. I've heard from >several builders of proposed "city" type cars, or smaller cars that were at >highway speeds or maybe only went to city speeds, that some sort of >problem like >this with DOT regs is the factor in preventing them from reasonable access to >U.S. markets. The REVA people, when I spoke to them, were already on the road >with hundreds of cars in India and maybe one or two other places, >and were keen >to come to the US, if not for this type of problem with DOT regs. The car was >designed here but had to be made and sold elsewhere. > >Funny, but I've never heard anyone go over this issue outside of these >discussion groups and outside of industry people. I don't think >I've ever seen >a news article on it. > >About the Honda you mention: I never knew about that tiny little Honda until I >saw an ad for their resurrection of the small little convertible idea and they >had some history of the matter as to the first car they brought here.
Was that the one with the chain-drive? Keith >MM > >On Mon, 10 May 2004 08:36:43 +0000, you wrote: > > >Hi, > > > >Back in the mid-70s Honda began importing into the US market their >first car. Earlier they had just imported motocycles. A friend of >mine had one and he loved it. Unfortunately, after a couple of years >that model was discontinued and Honda only imported larger vehicles. >I was told that the DOT regulations were changed to require cars to >have a longer wheel base than that early Honda. At the time, I >thought it was for safety reasons. Now, I wonder if there wasn't >some other reason why those regulations were put into place. Anyway, >when I lived in Europe in the 80s, I often saw neat small city cars, >like the Fiat 500 and the original Mini. Again, I was told they >weren't exported to the US market because they were too small to >meet regulations. So...my take on why the VW Lupo and the MB Smart >Car aren't in the US market is based on these DOT regulations, not >on some sort of problem with the engine. And, that is why they are >considering an upsized model of the Smart Car in 2006 for the > >US market. If we want to see these small fuel efficient models in >the US market, even just for city/town use, something needs to be >done about the DOT regulations which require a minimum wheel base. > > > >Derek > > > > > >> I wonder, will Smart make the little SUV (Smart Urban Vehicle?) >weigh in at > >> 6,000 lbs to qualify for the tax write-off? ;) > >> > >> Ryan > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Neoteric Biofuels Inc [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 7:38 AM > >> To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > >> Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: smartcar > >> > >> > >> > >> RE: name...Maybe SUV "Sport Utlity Vehicle" is a name that needs > >> reclamation anyway...the ones out there now are neither sporty nor > >> utilitarian. > >> > >> Edward Beggs > >> > >> > >> On Thursday, May 6, 2004, at 07:51 PM, Brian wrote: > >> > >> > "Smart" does have plans to start marketing in the US in 2006. They > >> > are designing an SUV for our market, and not planning to market the > >> > fortwo here. Isn't Smart SUV an oxymoron? I'm thinking that the > >> > name of the company says it all when it comes to why they're not > >> > selling in the US. No market for such a product here. > >> > > >> > Brian > >> > > >> > --- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, murdoch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >> On Thu, 6 May 2004 17:11:34 -0500, you wrote: > >> >> > >> >>> Murdoch, > >> >>> > >> >>>> Isn't this partly an issue of Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel not being > >> >>>> commonly available here, yet, the way it is in Europe? If the > >> > fuel > >> >>>> appropriate to how they designed the engine were common, > >> > wouldn't they > >> >>>> be more inclined to sell the vehicle here? > >> >>> > >> >>> I'm not familiar with the fuel requirements of the Lupo. > >> >>> > >> >>> However, ULSD is only a few years away in the US, market wide. > >> >>> > >> >>> Todd Swearingen > >> >> > >> >> I think, by one measure, a few years is probably not that much > >> > time. > >> >> A refinery engineer, looking at the costs or difficulties, might > >> > have > >> >> a thing or two to tell us about this. > >> >> > >> >> But at the same time, I think this few years has been part of why > >> > we > >> >> haven't seen the advent of such cars as the LUPO or many other > >> >> affordable promising mileage-oriented excellent New-Diesel- > >> > Technology > >> >> vehicles in the U.S. > >> >> > >> >> It could even be used as a pretext to prevent (for awhile) > >> > admitting > >> >> the Smart Car. Apparently, though, the diesel fuel in Canada won't > >> >> take the engine out of warranty, so I don't know about that. > >> >> > >> >> As I mentioned, with respect to the Smart Car, I think we should > >> >> anticipate that devilish pretexts will be used to delay or prevent > >> >> admission of something as promising looking as the Smart Car. If > >> > I'm > >> >> wrong, then I will be the happiest about this. I am just erring on > >> >> the side of assuming that "the opposition" (for want of a better > >> > way > >> >> to put a face to a name) will not discontinue operations because > >> > we've > >> >> finally found a promising alternative. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Yahoo! 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