Beyond the smoke and mirrors is the fact that the 500e is a great idea. I have driven the 500, but I can’t wait to give the 500e a test drive.
FORD 1.0-Liter EcoBoost Engine
Ford had a huge wow factor at this year’s LA Show. Not only did the automaker unveil new, more efficient products, such as the first North American application of the 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the 2014 Fiesta, it also won a prestigious Green Car of the Year award for its 2013 Ford Fusion.
AUDI TDI Diesel for A8, A7, A6, and Q5
Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America, make a compelling case for moving more quickly to support the diesel engine in cars driven here in America. According to Audi, the 22,000 owners of Audis with their TDI diesel engines saved 4,583,733 gallons of gasoline since 2009. Keogh says, “Diesel’s transformation went far beyond just fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. By almost every measure, it was as clean – or cleaner – than gasoline. We were achieving lower levels of particulate emissions, significantly lower levels of evaporate emissions, and less nitrous oxide.”
Why make this announcement at the LA Show? “People in California love two things: the great outdoors, and great driving. Because clean diesel dramatically improves both -- the quality of the air and performance on the road -- that’s why Californians are embracing this. In the last twelve months, one-third of all four A3 TDIs sold in the U.S. were sold here in California.”
And then the bombshell, what Keogh called ‘leveling the road’. “To the state and federal policymakers, let’s level the playing field. Let’s open HOV lanes to diesel, rethink how miles-per-gallon is calculated, ratchet up diesel research, and make the tax on diesel equal to gas. We know that diesel will do in the market exactly what it does on the road: outperform. If the government is going to be in the business of creating incentives, it should create incentives for the low carbon, high-efficiency future we want.”
Here is part of my interview with Keogh after his presentation:
