If the Federal Government get serious about reducing this country's dependence on foreign oil it needs to increase the national-fleet fuel economy. Diesel is the simple answer.
If we were to increase the size of our diesel fleet by just 30-percent it has been estimated we could reduce the amount of oil we import from the Middle East by 1.5 million gallons per day! This is our entire allocation of oil from Middle East OPEC nations!
In Europe every other vehicle is a diesel vehicle. In the U.S. it is a mere 5%. One of the problems in pump cost. Diesel costs more than gasoline. Although in a head-to-head comparison a diesel car will go 30% further on a tank of fuel than a gas car. Diesel technology is now cleaner than gasoline in terms of airborne emissions.
If I were buying a car today, I would purchase a VW Jetta diesel. I would get up to 50 mpg on the highway without giving up any performance unlike a hybrid auto. The price of a VW Jetta diesel is around $23,000, nicely equipped. Something to consider