Amor de Cosmos

People often say that Detroit (and Windsor) can’t or won’t make fuel-efficient small cars. One writer said that, at 25 miles per gallon, Ford original Model-T was more fuel efficient than most of its fleet today.

Yet, when I look around the streets of London, there are hundreds of small, efficient cars like the Ka and the Fiesta (from Ford) and various Vauxhalls (the local name for GM). Streets are far too narrow to drive a Hummer or an Escalade even if your self-loathing was small enough to want one.

Ford and GM could import these sporty and efficient cars right now and have them at dealers as soon as freighters could leave Plymouth. (Two weeks?) But they can’t - because of US law regarding crash testing and safety.

European crash testing is just as rigorous, if not more so, than US standards but it is done differently here. (This article goes into the details. (NYT)

That same article goes on to encourage the US Congress to waive the law and allow cars that meet European Union regulations to be imported. Sure, why not? But the auto companies own the designs and they have idle factories. The better plan would be to retool Michigan and Ontario plants for the Kas and Fiestas. It’s not like they will need the dies for the Dodge Magnum again.