Why it Matters: One day, Ford will realize that you can sell a heckuva lotta 65 mpg Fiestas in America. Too bad that day isn't now.

Not so long ago, Ford cars really had only one purpose: make the trucks look good. That was in case a fool wandered too far from the Toyota lot and stumbled into the Blue Oval lobby, where he was sure to find himself suddenly itching for a hay ride.

Hmmm.
Same holds true today, mostly, though Ford is getting ready to launch the Fiesta small car in the USA. That's welcome news, but it also seems that the clean diesel variant, named ECOnetic Fiesta and selling in Europe, isn't getting on the boat. That, yes sir, the folks who decide these things in Dearborn actually don't want a small, turbocharged diesel that gets 65 mpg to stain the pristine highways of America.

In case you didn't hear me, that's 65 mpg, as in better than a Prius and miles better than the current clean diesel competition. Granted, the vehicle generates just 88 horsepower, but hey - tune the engine, boost the power to 100 and get, say - 55-60 mpg. But all this is crazy talk. Come on now. Who in the USA would consider a stylish, functional car that gets 60 mpg, doesn't look like a spaceship and handles like a champ?

Yeah. Me too.

--Brian Chee
Source: http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/ford-will-give.html