13 pointsby comebhack4 hours ago7 comments
  • lschuelleran hour ago
    There is absolutely no reason for this cars to be available in Europe. The demand is so extremly low, that you couldn't even call it a niche in a niche. If there would be a market and demand, car importers would already have created a foothold for this cars in Europe. It's like arguing, no one buys surfboards in central sahara because of hostile regulations.
  • Mobius014 hours ago
    I will take a wild risk here and say that… it’s probably by design.
    • dlcarrier4 hours ago
      Yeah, it's pretty normal with automotive regulation to promote whatever domestic manufacturers make over imports. In the US, EPA regulations so heavily favored domestic trucks that that PT Cruiser was somewhat famously classified as a truck.
      • hkpack3 hours ago
        It is not only about domestic manufacturing.

        The trend is that roads are becoming more dangerous in the US, with the cars being bigger as a major contributor.

        People in US are fine with increasing casualties for some reason, and I’m glad that in EU the general consensus is to continue with keeping roads safer.

  • mrlonglong3 hours ago
    Our UK roads are not designed for oversized pickups.
  • cbeachan hour ago
    Who could have predicted the HN comments cheerleading the EU’s “Nanny knows best, let me take away those nasty toys” regulations?

    A mixture of:

    * pathological Europhiles who’d praise the Commission if it slapped them in the face.

    * anti-motorist fanatics with extreme views against the very normal desires of people to own a car

    * anti-American Americans (ie the far left) who dislike anything that’s emblematic of American pride and heritage

    For what it’s worth, I’m a European that drives an EV. I’d never buy a big truck. But I cannot stand the mass formation psychosis that causes people to cheer when other people’s freedoms are removed.

    We harden attitudes and divide society when we use blunt government policies like this, and then clap like seals and shame those who suffer the consequences.

    • gljiva19 minutes ago
      Freedoms are removed either way. I'd rather have everyone be _free_ to participate in traffic on safer, more observable streets, where air quality, maneuverability and parking space is decreased only for a good reason, than have a small minority who like the arms race or "bigger and meaner = better for my ego" cars be free to buy (and normalize) such cars (regardless of the car maker's nationality). And I'd bet that's the real reason others cheer this on, too, not what you chose to assume in this unnecessarily inflammatory comment. The easiest way to feel better about oneself is to make up negative assumptions about others. Introspection time
  • Glawen3 hours ago
    7000 sales per year, come on. They are too big and unpractical for Europe.
  • ErroneousBosh4 hours ago
    And nothing of value was lost.

    What's the point of these things? They're not useful for anything. They're horrible to drive, get through fuel like a burning oil well, can't tow, and can't carry anything.

    If you need something to haul building materials around, get a van.

    • soupbowl4 hours ago
      Can't tow and can't carry anything, "get a van". Yeah, vans are known for their amazing tow capacity.
      • ErroneousBosh3 hours ago
        It's what all the builders round here use. Full-size Ford Transit and if they need to carry more than about three tonnes, a trailer on the back.
        • ebbi3 hours ago
          One of the downsides to using a van for these heavy duty use cases (speaking from experience) is that they're typically not equipped with powerful enough engines. So you end up straining the engine when towing heavy loads, which reduces the life of it considerably.

          Also for a lot of vehicles, a GVM/GCM upgrade is needed to be able to tow certain loads.

          Not defending these large american trucks. I think there are valid use cases for them (in smaller bodies), but the majority of the ones I see driving around are just for peoples pleasure and not utility.

  • andrepd4 hours ago
    It's disgusting that they were ever allowed in the first place. Cars have extremely high externalities, the bare minimum is that people pay for them.

    An EU directive implementing vehicle tax proportional to weight is urgent. Heavier cars pollute more, damage the road more, are much more dangerous for pedestrians and bicycles.

    • cbeachan hour ago
      If we cared about reducing road casualties, then objectively speaking, we should ban bikes. Roads are designed for cars (people in protective metal boxes with hundreds of sophisticated safety features).

      Roads were never intended for people on flimsy two wheeled contraptions with nothing more than a polystyrene cap to protect them.

    • downrightmike4 hours ago
      US: Makes personal city trucks larger to skirt US regulations

      EU: Bans those trucks because they were created skirting regulations to the extreme