How long until Fiat Chrysler drop out of the compact and sedan market?

I assume this is accomplished by shutting down 2 cylinders? Seems to me that would introduce reliability issues.

I imagine it could be done with a really smart computer that can adjust tuning on the fly.

My 03 GT mustang is an antique compared to the 2011, and it gets 27mpg highway, and puts out close to 300hp with the mods it has.
 
I assume this is accomplished by shutting down 2 cylinders? Seems to me that would introduce reliability issues.

Ford doesn't use any cylinder deactivation to my knowledge. My '94 GT has hit 32 MPG on a long highway trip before. Normally its around 23-25 MPG mixed driving. If an old 5.0 can do that, imagine what the new technology can do.
 
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Ford doesn't use any cylinder deactivation to my knowledge. My '94 GT has hit 32 MPG on a long highway trip before. Normally its around 23-25 MPG mixed driving. If an old 5.0 can do that, imagine what the new technology can do.
Yeah, but the new tech is also saddled by ever increasing emissions controls. Look at the old Honda CRX from the 80's - that was over 50mpg highway.

One of the things I find surprising is why manufacturers don't gear their top gears taller. E.g., I know in some Honda/Acura 6spd V6 cars, the top gear is fairly close to the 5th gear. Why not space it out further and get those revs down for highway cruising. Close gears are great for racing, but 99.9% of drivers would benefit more from greater cruising speed fuel economy.
 
Yeah, but the new tech is also saddled by ever increasing emissions controls. Look at the old Honda CRX from the 80's - that was over 50mpg highway.


That's the same reason all those incredible econoboxes from Europe aren't sold here. Ford makes a car that gets 60 MPG, but doesn't pass American emissions tests and the market is too small to make the engineering worthwhile.
 
That's the same reason all those incredible econoboxes from Europe aren't sold here. Ford makes a car that gets 60 MPG, but doesn't pass American emissions tests and the market is too small to make the engineering worthwhile.

But I thought the Europeans were greener than us?
 
But I thought the Europeans were greener than us?

Don't they only have real gas though? 95+ octane and no ethanol funny business. Probably makes running those precision tiny engines easier than on the stuff we have here.
 
It's not so much that American companies do pickups and SUVs best, it's that the Asians don't do much of it. The only reason Americans don't want compact cars and sedans from GM, Ford and Chrysler is because those cars mostly suck compared to the competition.

Americans are still buying compacts and sedans, but we're mostly buying them from the Asian manufacturers: https://www.statista.com/statistics/276419/best-selling-cars-in-the-united-states/

Everyone here is familiar with the durability and customer satisfaction consumers have with the Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner. Imagine instead of just Toyota and Nissan in the truck and truck-based SUV market, you also had Honda, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. That would make life very difficult for GM, Ford and FCA.
I do not think Mitsubishi has ever made a car that that was worth a horse apple. I will be glad when they are gone for good. Dodge trucks are now comming with Mercedes transmissions in them, this should be good for a laugh when the ram boys get to replace one.
 
Yeah, but the new tech is also saddled by ever increasing emissions controls. Look at the old Honda CRX from the 80's - that was over 50mpg highway.

One of the things I find surprising is why manufacturers don't gear their top gears taller. E.g., I know in some Honda/Acura 6spd V6 cars, the top gear is fairly close to the 5th gear. Why not space it out further and get those revs down for highway cruising. Close gears are great for racing, but 99.9% of drivers would benefit more from greater cruising speed fuel economy.

Yep, some of the more aggressively geared cars are seeing 2500-3000+ RPM on the highway. Seems excessive to me, but I'm not an engineer! The newer 7 speed manuals with triple overdrive gears are pretty cool.
 
another nail in the coffin:
The wife of a late United Auto Workers union official received an 18-month prison sentence Friday as part of a federal corruption investigation at a training center run by the union and automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
 
GM announced today it is closing a few plants that are focused on cars. The shift toward pickups, SUVs and crossovers continues.
 
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American car company do three things well. Trucks, SUV's and muscle cars. Repeal CAFE. Let them make what their customers want from them. Stop forcing them to make crap that we don't want to buy from them.
We had a 1999 Cherokee from new until 187K miles when we sold it.
1993YJ, bought at 95K miles. Sold at 195K miles.
2010 Patriot. over 100K miles. still going.
2015 Dodge Charger. No problems.
The small car? A 2012 Veloster that I sold earlier this year. 64K untroubled miles.
 
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