Episode 533: Why Cars From Europe and the US Just Can't Get Along

Enlarge this image FRISO GENTSCH/VOLKSWAGEN/DPA /LANDOV FRISO GENTSCH/VOLKSWAGEN/DPA /LANDOV

When a car is sold in the United States, the safety features on that car — the airbags, the bumper — they are built to US safety standards. There is a different set of standards in Europe. To sell a Jeep Wrangler in Europe, Chrysler has to redesign and replace a bunch of seemingly random parts of the car.

The Europeans have the same issue. The new Volkswagen Golf R is driving on the autobahns in Berlin, but not yet in the US. Before the car can come to the US, the German company has to manufacture the car for a completely different set of safety regulations.

Today on the show: why can't you build a car that can be driven anywhere in the world?

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