More than a half century ago, I was proud of my fellow Americans who recognized that the charlatans that created WWII were a minority that agitated and swayed their intrinsically passive constituents during distressed economic times. Accordingly, the U. S. created the Marshal plan to put Europe back on its feet and even sent Gen. Douglas MacArthur (“American Caesar”) to Japan to sort through its post-war re-emergence. One of Gen MacArthur’s strategies was to encourage and seek technologically oriented American companies to venture into the region. The general response? “No thanks, we’re not interested in getting into kewpie dolls, consume jewelry or animated tin toys!”
Fast-forward 25 years.
America has enjoyed unmatched prosperity involving housing, electronics, medical advances but particularly, the automotive industry. It’s drivers, avid for its cars, performance and related personal identification have, however, not infrequently encountered a faith-jarring episode regarding purchase price or service cost negotiations, not ameliorated by the apparently arrogant corporations. The cars shipped here by the “Black Forest Elves” and the understated modest Japanese and their eager new dealers seem to be a satisfactory substitute. There creeps into the American psyche the idea of cigar chomping, dinosaur producing Detroit “fat cats”. This is promulgated by American Motor’s George Romney and newly self-appointed consumer advocates. Further exacerbating Detroit’s problem are the soon to be recognition of fuel shortages and environmental problems, the solutions for which favor European and Japanese configurations.
During a conversation then with a U. S. auto executive, “When considering our respective performances over the past 30 years, what have we done so bad that the other guys are the sentimental favorites?”
I have a degree of concurrence.
Jump to the present.
The worldwide automotive industry is operating under a morass of uncoordinated rules, some of which have created their own problems. The goals of safety, gas conservation and clean air are intrinsically incompatible. Accordingly, a compromise on interrelated specifications is required to establish optimal overall results.
Amidst the crazy quilt environment, two things seem certain:
We now have the immediate dilemma of Volkswagen being charged of building a car that “cheats” during nitrous oxide testing in the U. S. Perhaps the car does exceed (perhaps politically oriented) U. S. specifications for Nox, but what are its characteristics for other important factors? For one thing, it certainly minimizes fuel usage, a characteristic for which the U. S. has already sacrificed 4,000+ lives. What are the features that make this the engine of choice in Europe, a sophisticated automotive environment?
Let’s resolve this.
Is VW a shyster for commercial purposes or are they a hero for taking risks knowing they are helping U. S. drivers and all other Americans against the alternative environment? Are they even breaking the law in the context that even most Americans know that the mileage edicts for new cars are not to be expected under normal driving conditions, but apply only for test purposes? Accordingly, might the actions actually follow the letter, if not the spirit or intention, of the regulation (passing the test)? Might VW be absolved if they know that their cars are proved demonstrably superior to equivalent cars to advance the overall good? (In this case, I have a degree of concurrence, particularly now, when officials have ignored charging those who have demonstrated this, e. g., Japan has violated all eleven legal obligations of the ’45 peace treaty; no harm, no indictment.)
Let’s resolve the legal, political and actual comparative issues and values of the clean diesel.
Fast-forward 25 years.
America has enjoyed unmatched prosperity involving housing, electronics, medical advances but particularly, the automotive industry. It’s drivers, avid for its cars, performance and related personal identification have, however, not infrequently encountered a faith-jarring episode regarding purchase price or service cost negotiations, not ameliorated by the apparently arrogant corporations. The cars shipped here by the “Black Forest Elves” and the understated modest Japanese and their eager new dealers seem to be a satisfactory substitute. There creeps into the American psyche the idea of cigar chomping, dinosaur producing Detroit “fat cats”. This is promulgated by American Motor’s George Romney and newly self-appointed consumer advocates. Further exacerbating Detroit’s problem are the soon to be recognition of fuel shortages and environmental problems, the solutions for which favor European and Japanese configurations.
During a conversation then with a U. S. auto executive, “When considering our respective performances over the past 30 years, what have we done so bad that the other guys are the sentimental favorites?”
I have a degree of concurrence.
Jump to the present.
The worldwide automotive industry is operating under a morass of uncoordinated rules, some of which have created their own problems. The goals of safety, gas conservation and clean air are intrinsically incompatible. Accordingly, a compromise on interrelated specifications is required to establish optimal overall results.
Amidst the crazy quilt environment, two things seem certain:
- German automotive engineering is excellent, particularly relating to motors.
- The general reception of the “clean diesel” has been spectacular, having been used in more that half of cars built in Europe for a number of years.
We now have the immediate dilemma of Volkswagen being charged of building a car that “cheats” during nitrous oxide testing in the U. S. Perhaps the car does exceed (perhaps politically oriented) U. S. specifications for Nox, but what are its characteristics for other important factors? For one thing, it certainly minimizes fuel usage, a characteristic for which the U. S. has already sacrificed 4,000+ lives. What are the features that make this the engine of choice in Europe, a sophisticated automotive environment?
Let’s resolve this.
Is VW a shyster for commercial purposes or are they a hero for taking risks knowing they are helping U. S. drivers and all other Americans against the alternative environment? Are they even breaking the law in the context that even most Americans know that the mileage edicts for new cars are not to be expected under normal driving conditions, but apply only for test purposes? Accordingly, might the actions actually follow the letter, if not the spirit or intention, of the regulation (passing the test)? Might VW be absolved if they know that their cars are proved demonstrably superior to equivalent cars to advance the overall good? (In this case, I have a degree of concurrence, particularly now, when officials have ignored charging those who have demonstrated this, e. g., Japan has violated all eleven legal obligations of the ’45 peace treaty; no harm, no indictment.)
Let’s resolve the legal, political and actual comparative issues and values of the clean diesel.
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