Featured Chevy Cruze diesel

East coast is the home of higher diesel prices.

Not all Prius buyers are environmental types, but green car buyers likely are.

 

Unfortunately hybrid cars are relegated to a separate class of vehicle, even on the Toyota website. It's time for them to be viewed as a very efficient gas powered model competing fully against other conventional cars of the same size.

 

Here in Europe every Toyota site has "hybrid available" when referring to a model that has a HSD variant.
Yaris, Auris, C-HR and Rav4...

 

99% of drivers in US will buy automatic. Prius is automatic too for fair comparison. Prius is a no brainer for city driving of course.

 

That isn't necessarily true, they may try to "pump out" more automatics but demand for the MT is likely higher on such a vehicle.
The venerable Chevy Cobalt XFE had minimal discounting compared to the automatic LTs back in the day, so I see no reason for that trend to continue on diesel trims.

Fiat found that it sold its newly released 500
2:1 in favor of the manual transmission during its first 6 months in the US market,
certain Niche markets (of which diesel is very firmly planted) have higher than expected demand for good ol Stick shifts.

Too bad the European view that only a handycap drives an automatic doesn't hold in our wonderful nation of gluttons.

 

A lawsuit is proceeding alleging that 2014 Cruze diesels are cheating on emissions. According to testing by the plaintiffs, nitrogen oxide emissions exceed US standards on highway driving (esp over 70 mph), stop-and-go driving and if the temperature is below 50F or above 85F.

Chevy Cruze Emissions Lawsuit Will Continue | CarComplaints.com

Do diesel makers have no ethics? Do they not care that their cars emit excessive toxins in many normal driving scenarios?

 

Which could be explained by a smaller number of manuals ones being produced; keeping the supply low to demand. Plus, dealers like having a manual on the lot for advertising lower prices.

Previous VW owners will favor the stick, which is why GM didn't make this Cruze auto only this time. But were buying the stick because they liked it, or were they just avoiding the VW autos?

Most people buying a manual in the US are doing so for performance. I haven't kept on top of where it is now, but the ratio in the BRZ/86 was reported as 1:1, and it likely has stayed there. They and the Fiats are what pulls up the average of manuals sold among the rest of the segments.

Automatics have come a long way in improved efficiency, but some will still prefer a manual for fuel economy. The Cruze diesel will likely sell more manuals than the gas versions for that reason, but I don't see the numbers approaching sports cars levels.

Filing a class action lawsuit isn't proof of cheating.
The plaintiffs are citing a Dutch test on an Opel model. It's a different market where the emission regs aren't as strict, and the governments appear more willing to let things slide by. They did on road testing, but it could be of one car, and no other models or trims. Gasoline cars can exceed the lab limits on the open roads, too.