They need to be forced
I always find the attitude of auto-enthusiasts very destructive.
My brother is a racecar driver by profession and despite years of trying i can't even get him to understand why people think cars could be bad for the environment. This is mostly due to the fact that his world revolves around the sport, therefore like everyone else involved in the sport they do not see the big picture. My brother does not care about fuel efficiency, its all about speed, noise and quantity (he is 19 and owns 4 cars alone).
It is to such enthusiasts that the automakers are derived and to whom they direct their products. For as long as they are permitted and for as long as there is a market this trend will continue.
As mentioned in An Inconvenient Truth, Australian and US manufactured vehicles cannot be sold in Asia or Europe because they do not meet the minimum emissions standards. In fact they do not even come close.
The only thing that is going to change this trend is government. For the greater good of humanity they need to force carmakers to comply with strict regulations or help them seek alternative entertainment/employment. This will be difficult when they can't even ensure that minimum safety standards are met in existing vehicles.
This needs to be done now as most cars made today will still be around in 2030 when we need to have 90% less emissions.
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