Philip Perkins Posted May 20, 2012 Report Share Posted May 20, 2012 Ditto Toyota and Nissan--they have several really cool small vans not avail in the USA. Ford even has one based on a Fiesta: a "micro-van", also not avail here. Please car co.s--not everyone wants a full sized van! phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean McCormick Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Please car co.s--not everyone wants a full sized van! phil p Yep, having been across the pond a couple of times recently, it's wild how different the lorries are. It was a bummer to have to settle for something either too small or too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 " '65 Pontiac Catalina " A Bonneville wagon was our family ride back then... Ah, those oldies but goodies, and the mileage wasn't even that bad, as I recall, but of course the emissions... If you got more than 10 mpg in that thing I'd be shocked. Most were 7 to 9 mpg. Had a mustang with a 289 and I was at the gas station everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 VW Kombi Van, 40mpg, feels and drives like a car, seats 6 and carries all your kit. What else do you need? I had one of these in the UK,. Used it for 5 years and sorely miss the fact that I can't get one in the US. Please please VW sort your act out. I think most Vans in the US are too bulky, have terrible fuel consumption and are not really thought out that well. The only company to start to change their thinking is Ford (Transit) and bless them for it! It's more the Government that restricts which models can be sold here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeoh Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 It's more the Government that restricts which models can be sold here. Shame on them!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tirrell Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 It's more the Government that restricts which models can be sold here. It has always bugged me that they couldn't find a way to streamline standards. I know the govt line is that it is because of safety or some such nonsense but the european safety standards typically exceed ours by a good margin. To the point where if I am buying rock climbing gear I do not care about whatever american certifications they have it is the european one that is the gold standard. So if the standards are met or exceeded why can those vehicles not be streamlined into american markets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeoh Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 If smell the stench of an Oil Lobbyist. Why sell a van that does 40mpg when you can hawk vehicles that guzzle around 15! I repeat SHAME ON THEM!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 If smell the stench of an Oil Lobbyist. Why sell a van that does 40mpg when you can hawk vehicles that guzzle around 15! I repeat SHAME ON THEM!!!!!! I smell the stench of a bloated, over regulated government!! SHAME ON US!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 " also not avail here. " " I smell the stench of a bloated, over regulated government!! SHAME ON US!!!!! " I smell the stench of a bloated, over regulating government!! SHAME ON US!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I don't think that government regs are the reason they don't import those smaller vans etc into the USA. There aren't a lot of diffs in the safety and pollution standards between the USA and Eurozone anymore (many Chinese vehicles are a different matter). I think it's down to marketing, really, and how many they think they can sell here. phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devendra Cleary Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 It looks like people are interested in why there is a variety of new multiple manufacturer / fuel efficient/ different/ stylish/ streamlined vans in Europe and not the United States. The reason is something called a "Chicken Tax" which is a trade tariff introduced by the US in the 60s. Huh??? To better explain, here is an accurate Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax The Ford Transit Connect I bought was built in Turkey, shipped to a distributor in Europe, imported back to the US by Ford but as a "passenger van". The seats and windows were "recycled" and the cargo van was sold to me by a dealership. Jumping through all those hoops is still cheaper for Ford than paying a 25% (per van) "Chicken Tax". It's because of the new demand for fuel efficient fleet vehicles from companies like ADT Security ect. It's pretty much thanks to them that I was able to get my hands on this van in the US. They drove up the demand for importation and other companies followed suit. The ironic part of this, is this tariff was put in place to protect American automakers but is indeed proving to be a hassle for Ford. If this tariff didn't exist, we would see a variety of cool cargo vans in the US. If not, I think other car companies will start following Ford and using the "passenger van" loophole. -Devendra Cleary, CAS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tirrell Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The thing is its not just about them being able to import them there is also the thing where they manufacture completely different lines of vehicles parts etc. I like to think we consume enough vehicles in the country here that we should be able to build at least a portion of them. But it seems it would be cheaper in both europe and the us if companies did not have to design 2 different models of the same class of vehicle for sale on one side of the lake or the other. The same goes for the whole headache that goes along with parts distribution and inventory control. So basically I have always wondered how much of it was the tariff and how much other factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 " also not avail here. " " I smell the stench of a bloated, over regulated government!! SHAME ON US!!!!! " I smell the stench of a bloated, over regulating government!! SHAME ON US!!!!! You are right, thank you for correcting that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrell Henke Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 VW Kombi Van, 40mpg, feels and drives like a car, seats 6 and carries all your kit. What else do you need? I had one of these in the UK,. Used it for 5 years and sorely miss the fact that I can't get one in the US. Please please VW sort your act out. I think most Vans in the US are too bulky, have terrible fuel consumption and are not really thought out that well. The only company to start to change their thinking is Ford (Transit) and bless them for it! Is that US gallons or Imperial? D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeoh Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 I believe it to be UK. Don't forget also it's Diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Paine Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Probably not cheap, but if I had the resources, I would have these guys make me a custom gear/people hauler combo. http://www.outsidevan.com/ Use it for work most of the time, then it would become the ultimate road trip / adventure getaway / mountain bike excursion van ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 It looks like people are interested in why there is a variety of new multiple manufacturer / fuel efficient/ different/ stylish/ streamlined vans in Europe and not the United States. The reason is something called a "Chicken Tax" which is a trade tariff introduced by the US in the 60s. Huh??? To better explain, here is an accurate Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax The Ford Transit Connect I bought was built in Turkey, shipped to a distributor in Europe, imported back to the US by Ford but as a "passenger van". The seats and windows were "recycled" and the cargo van was sold to me by a dealership. Jumping through all those hoops is still cheaper for Ford than paying a 25% (per van) "Chicken Tax". It's because of the new demand for fuel efficient fleet vehicles from companies like ADT Security ect. It's pretty much thanks to them that I was able to get my hands on this van in the US. They drove up the demand for importation and other companies followed suit. The ironic part of this, is this tariff was put in place to protect American automakers but is indeed proving to be a hassle for Ford. If this tariff didn't exist, we would see a variety of cool cargo vans in the US. If not, I think other car companies will start following Ford and using the "passenger van" loophole. -Devendra Cleary, CAS Fascinating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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