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driving it home

Volkswagen Scirocco

That racy little Volkswagen Scirocco the Europeans get is not coming to Canada and the United States. Too bad.

The Scirocco is one of many European cars we don't get. In the Scirocco's case, VW Canada says it would have to start the price at $35,000 or so and that's a non-starter. In other words, vehicles built in high-cost Europe are too expensive to sell here profitably.

Moreover, even if the Scirocco were here at a lower price, a big, big chunk of buyers - young gearheads and trend-setters - would never be able to afford the insurance.

Car insurance is absurdly expensive in Canada, particularly Ontario. No one wants a monthly insurance tab bigger than a lease payment. Bloated insurance fees have, in fact, driven a dagger into the sporty car market.

So outrageous insurance fees are the second reason the Scirocco isn't coming. Tough fuel economy and emissions standards in the U.S. and consequently Canada also make it hard to import cars designed for less stringent markets.

And we can blame the Americans for the fourth reason why the Scirocco and other interesting small cars are not sold here.

Here's the story. Vehicle distributors in branch-plant Canada sell most of the same models available in the United States. It's all about economies of scale. Our models differ in packaging and features and price, but the basic nuts and bolts are identical here and there.

Thus, while half of the car market in Canada is comprised of compacts and subcompacts, there are still more SUV variants for sale here than subcompacts. American tastes run to "bigger is better," so we get lots of SUVs.

New research from AutoPacific provides the evidence. AutoPacific found that despite America's brush with high gas prices in the summer of 2008 - despite their absurd oil dependency on some dangerously whacky regimes -- Americans still want cars that are "bigger, faster, and with more bells and whistles."

The real shame here is that many of the fuel efficient tiny runabouts of Europe aren't crossing the Atlantic despite a push for greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The Ford Ka is a perfect example of a car we don't get but should.

The Ka is sold in Europe, Latin America and Mexico, but Ford Canada doesn't stock it. The Ka, a warmed-over Fiat 500 with a Ford top hat, doesn't meet our U.S.-dictated regulatory standards. Even if it did, the American don't want it so we can't have it.

Ford Canada would almost certainly sell the Ka in big numbers, but it cannot even try. That is more than a shame - it's a travesty.

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