Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
Interesting article on fuel economy and buyer habits in Canada from the World Economic Forum:
Canada has the worst fuel economy in the world. Here's why
TL,DR:
Far and away the biggest reason for Canada’s fuel inefficient vehicles comes down to cost. Simply put, the cost to purchase and operate a gas guzzler in Canada (or the U.S.) is far less than the rest of the world.
This cost difference comes in two forms: upfront charges for vehicle registration and gas prices. |
I didn't need to read that article to know that North America's infatuation with pickup trucks has led to poor fuel economy relative to the rest of the world. The issue is that the domestic automakers are highly dependant on pickup truck sales (it's essentially all that keeps them in business) so good luck with either government dealing with this head on by applying a gas guzzler tax on the purchase of each and every one of these used for non-business commuting. GM employs over 100k people in Ontario and the Silverado and Sierra are built in Oshawa. This isn't like killing off O&G in Alberta as the federal government fully knows they cannot do anything that's going to jeopardize jobs in Ontario and Quebec. It's one of those things where the government likes to preach that they are conscious about the environment but not to the point they will make hard decisions that will cost them votes in the two most important provinces.