rbattelle
TDR MEMBER
except for the fact that people will pony up the extra freight for a hybrid, with almost no fuel economy benefit.
Well, that's sort of true, except that very few hybrids are actually sold. Even the Prius, for all it's "popularity" doesn't sell NEARLY so fast as Accords/Camrys/Civics/Cobalts/etc.
I thing all of us would wait on line with a check in hand to purchase a small diesel power pickup. 4 cylinder with a 2000# payload and 3500 # towing capacity , A simple interior like non electric mirrors or window or locks or seats , vinyl floor fabric seats bench seat for 3. locking diffs. and a low range transmission. No radio or gps we will put our own in, and a set of BF Goodrich mud terrains . And ! we dont want a 13 gallon fuel tank put a 25 0r 30 gallon tank in it.
I very respectfully disagree. I respect your preferences in a vehicle, but I don't necessarily share them, and I don't think "all of us" do, either. If everyone did, Ford would still be selling 1982 Bronco IIs and Rangers (both were available with a diesel), and Kia wouldn't be able to make enough Sportages to meet demand. Except for the diesel, you can buy a Canyon equipped pretty close to what you want today, and I don't see many on the road. Same with F-150, for example - you can buy a stripped-down fleet work truck very cheap (albeit sans diesel).
All I'm saying is, it's not some kind of "magic" that these small diesel trucks are not generally available, nor that the range of available vehicles is what it is. The whole idea of a free market (which was more-or-less alive and functioning until recently) is the law of supply and demand. Automakers stopped making these vehicles 30 years ago because people demanded other things.
Ryan