The scramble to keep from getting hit for fuel efficiency while they work to bring out their modular plug-in hybrids, electrics and off load the diesel legacy bits.

All this forced CAFE crap

No more SEL trim either.

which means in order to get a loaded Golf you have to get the GTI

11 hours ago, regfootball said:

All this forced CAFE crap

The Golf does not have a CAFE problem.  The real issue is that VW and Audi are selling a lot of crossovers that use turbo 4cyl engines (and a few V6es too). 

Remember that CAFE is based on what cars you sell and how many.  Hence why Honda can sell CAFE credits to FCA because of their respective product mixes and sales of those product mixes.

I feel CAFE credits are dumb actually because it basically gives a cop-out to automakers that don’t develop fuel efficient cars and don’t make an effort to sell them.

4 hours ago, Suaviloquent said:

I feel CAFE credits are dumb actually because it basically gives a cop-out to automakers that don’t develop fuel efficient cars and don’t make an effort to sell them.

 

Not everyone wants them though.  People want what they want.  This is why CAFE is stupid.  Companies that sell vehicles that their customers want should be able to comply... with customer wants and needs.

18 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Not everyone wants them though.  People want what they want.  This is why CAFE is stupid.  Companies that sell vehicles that their customers want should be able to comply... with customer wants and needs.

CAFE has been the wrong approach to fuel efficiency since it was first made law back in 1975.  Better to let customers buy what they want/need and let them deal with the consequences of their purchase, especially if gas/diesel prices spike again.

Look, would I object to a crew cab 3/4-ton truck that got 35 MPG? Of course not- no one would. Noone buys vehicles BECAUSE they get relatively low MPG. In some cases an argument could be made that CAFE gives those people who want to buy a relatively very high MPG vehicle a choice that might not otherwise be there. That said, for it to bring the least pain & cost, it has to be incremental and obtainable, not a 15 MPG jump in 6 years sort of thing.

There really was in this case no valid reason for VW to downsize the base engine.  Now perhaps an entry trim, but to move down to the 1.4 vs the 1.8 is totally a reactionary move to regulations.