The price of Petrol.

[banpaeng]

A question for you guys in Europe and Australia. In the US the auto industry lobby has made it impossible for the likes of Toyota or any of the folks to import the diesels to the US. These things get incredible milage. Not a scientist but I think they are actully better for the environment.

Can you guys get them in your home country.

[beer monkey]

we have plenty of Diesels in UK most nowadays are Turbo Diesels and really do fly along, but Diesel currently is a higher price than petrol(gas).
LPG is also available. Kits are around ฃ1000+ fitted. about 47p per litre
unleaded petrol around 96p+ but super unleaded can be up to ฃ1.04p a litre and diesel 97p+ a litre.

The fashion/green car of the moment(for people in the spot-light in London) is a Toyota Prius. Hybrid.
i believe the US could'nt get enough of them, but you don't see that many on the road in UK.(probably because they don't stand out !!)

You can have a Jaguar Diesel, a BMW Diesel, VW,Ford,Volvo's,Saab,Chrysler's inc the great looking 300C, Merc, all the Jap stuff inc Lexus,and french stuff plus Land Rovers etc etc

[JimboPSM]

Diesels are freely available in UK.

They do get much higher mileage - sorry, I don't know the price difference between diesel and petrol (gas) for a relative cost comparison. If it is something that saves the individual motorist some money, Gordon Bennett will probably increase the tax on it.

Unsure about the environmental impact, in the old days diesels were notorious for belching black smoke and being very noisy - this does seem to have been cured.

I suspect that all emissions, whether diesel or petrol, are harmful to us.

I was intrigued about this "auto industry lobby" - is it another of those protectionist dinosaurs that "brown bags" senators and representatives for their clients?

If it is, the result of that protectionism is IMHO a bit of a two edged sword:

• 1. in the short term, it keeps the underperforming senior management and union leaders (who have failed to keep up with the market) in their highly remunerated jobs at the expense of the consumer and modernisation.
  
  2. in the long term, it kills off the industry and loses most (if not all) the senior management and the union members their jobs because the industry was not kept up to date and competitive in the market place - and even worse, the country takes a big hit in its foreign trade balance of payments and ultimately the value of its currency.

[banpaeng]

I was intrigued about this "auto industry lobby" - is it another of those protectionist dinosaurs that "brown bags" senators and representatives for their clients?

If it is, the result of that protectionism is IMHO a bit of a two edged sword:

• 1. in the short term, it keeps the underperforming senior management and union leaders (who have failed to keep up with the market) in their highly remunerated jobs at the expense of the consumer and modernisation.
  
  2. in the long term, it kills off the industry and loses most (if not all) the senior management and the union members their jobs because the industry was not kept up to date and competitive in the market place - and even worse, the country takes a big hit in its foreign trade balance of payments and ultimately the value of its currency.

Dead on Jimbo. Yu would think thye would wake up. Nope. Lets see does dope rhyme.

I hate to say it but between the unions and industry lobby, they have killed the auto industry in the US. Now it will be the oil industry time. You think the middle east has a strangle hold now, wait till 2010 to 2015. There is a tremendous amount of refinery capacity coming on line in the middle east. Lets see, will have crude and refinerys production. Look out world. Most of the reason for the increase in refineries ijn the middle east is the Lobbys in the US. Dumb butts on even a good day.

[Frankie 1]

Diesel cars are available in the European Union, but soon diesel cars will be not allowed without a special filter.
Anyway, most part of the high prices of petrol and diesel here is tax.

[gos]

Diesels are still available in Australia nearly all the 4wd owned by the mining industry are diesel

[Aardvark]

Just topped up the new LPG, 52.5 cents per litre, just over 40 lts cost $21.15. 300 klms for that much Gas is'nt great economy but compared to $56.00 for unleaded last week for similar distance travelled it makes a big difference to the Wallet. Not to mention that here in Perth the federal gov pays $2000.00 for a conversion and State gov pays $1000.00 for conversion, Total cost to me was $100.00. I think I finally won for a change

[cookie]

My wife keeps on telling me that I will loose my guarantee if I use bio diesel.
Just bought me a new Mazda BT-50 .
Is this true???

[beer monkey]

can't say for certain, but i would probably put money on it that the warrenty will become invalid,best go straight to the the horses mouth and check with Mazda, i have read that some manufacturers will still warrent the engine if its run on a small percentage of it,not sure how they can tell though !
nice truck too. (it just won an award at the motor show .)

[ttom]

You poor old dears, try filling up in the UK, about 62 TB/Litre (about 45 TB of this is Tax) be energy efficient and use less 'they' tell us, Oh, and we have to add a Green Tax to make up for our lost tax income - result = even higher prices.
Sod em all - buy a horse ! Oh Sh*t - 'they' are now talking about taxing waste collections and a horse craps too much, shoot the horse and eat it - Oh NO- the anti gun lobby won't let me have a gun ! Bugger it, retire & Fly out to UT wi me mates !

Just look at the price level since 1902. There is not really much of a difference. Cheapeest was between 1928 and 1948 with 177 respecivly 192 pence per gallon. Before and after the prices went much higher, matching about todays leve. During the Suez crises, the prices went even higher.

Petrol and enegery is to cheap and therefore wasted.

If you don't like UK nor Thai petrol prices, fill up in Iran, petrol is still at 1,15 TBT per litre, diesel costs much less. Both, petrol and diesel is usually imported.