I agree it is a matter of cultures rather than standard of living. The Ford Mondeo and new S-Max are quite popular cars in the UK; they’re sold on fuel efficiency and low Co2 emissions and the UK has a standard of living more in-line with the US rather than China.

In China Ford has a lot of small extremely gas friendly cars. Why are they not here in the US?

The American palate and physical expectation are as different as the cultures. While the Chinese appreciate any small vehicle to get them around a billion population area - the American culture benefits from ample space, a greater average wage, and an expectation of more comfort than the Chinese market. In short, the United States has a higher standard of living than China and it is reflected in what we “drive” our markets with. Many Americans would find those small cars undesirabel. But I bet those that really wanted to could have them imported to the U.S. for a small fortune and could even arrange with Ford Corporate to purchase the dealership rights to sell those cars here IF you are really serious about your appreciation of them.