http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002450316_fuel24.html


Stricter mileage standards proposed, blasted
By Margaret Webb Pressler

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration called for higher fuel-economy standards for SUVs, minivans and pickups yesterday with a proposal that sets mileage goals for six sizes of vehicles, replacing the present single standard for all light trucks.

Administration officials say the regulations would result in more fuel savings than any previous increase in standards for larger vehicles. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said the rules would save 10 billion gallons of gasoline and "result in less pain at the pump for motorists, without sacrificing safety."

But environmentalists say the complex proposal adds up to little real change and continues to reward Detroit for building bigger vehicles. It also addresses the complaint of U.S. automakers that it's easier for foreign-owned manufacturers to meet existing standards because they sell fewer large trucks.

The plan would not apply to the largest SUVs, such as the Hummer H2. Passenger cars, already required to maintain an average of 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg), also would not be covered by the changes.

Environmental advocates panned the approach, saying it failed to go far enough to reduce the nation's dependence on imported oil while creating new loopholes that would weaken the requirements. Passenger cars and light trucks, a vehicle category that includes pickups, minivans and SUVs, account for about 40 percent of the nation's oil use.

"At a time when Americans are paying record prices for gas, the Bush administration has sided with its cronies in the auto industry and rejected real solutions," said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's global warming program.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., called it "backward looking" and "another lost opportunity to help our security, economy and environment."

Six categories

The plan would do away with an industrywide corporate-average fuel-efficiency — or CAFE — standard for vehicles classified as light trucks, which includes SUVs, pickups, minivans and other models that now make up more than half of all new vehicles sold in the United States. Instead, fuel economy would be calculated for six different segments of these vehicles, from the smallest, such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Toyota Rav4, to the biggest, such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Nissan Titan.

Each automaker also would be given an average fuel-economy goal for its particular mix of vehicle sales.

Under current standards, automakers must maintain an average of 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 21 mpg for light trucks. The light-truck standard already is scheduled to rise to 22.2 mpg for the 2007 model year.

The new regulations would affect light trucks in the 2008 model year, and all such vehicles would have to comply by 2011 models. For the smallest category of trucks, the final fuel-efficiency target would be 28.4 miles per gallon; for the largest SUVs and pickups, it would be 21.3 mpg.

The proposal is submitted for public comment until Nov. 22, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hopes to issue a final rule by next April.

Big American automakers have historically fought tougher fuel standards, saying it is costly to re-engineer cars and trucks to comply.

"The higher we go (in fuel economy standards), the more difficult the challenge becomes because there is a lot of safety content that is adding weight to cars, as well as convenience features people want," said Christopher Preuss, a General Motors spokesman.

Size and safety

The industry has argued that achieving better fuel efficiency often means producing smaller, lighter cars that are less safe to drive.

Yesterday's proposed rule change is aimed at discouraging automakers from building smaller vehicles unless the market demands it. Critics say the rule actually encourages companies to make bigger vehicles that are less fuel-efficient.

For example, the Subaru Outback, which is in the smallest class of vehicles, could be made less than an inch wider and longer and move up into the next size grouping, thereby lowering its fuel-economy requirement, said David Friedman, research director for the clean vehicles program of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"One of the fundamental problems with the system is automakers can add size, in some cases only a tiny amount, and meet a dramatically lower standard," he said.

But administration officials defend the new standards as far-reaching.

John Graham, administrator of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, pointed out that the smallest SUVs would end up with a fuel requirement of 28.4 mpg, "which is more demanding than the (current) 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars."

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

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...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

it's all up to the market forces right now anyway.. with gas prices through the roof people are defintaly looking at MPGs... smaller (not bigger) cars are gonna fill the roads soon.. if Detroit keeps on fudging stuff they'll only loose more.. the town suck big time already.. nasty..

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72 W114/M130

RedMeat cartoon

Yeah the market will determine. If you build it and they don't come then what? The arrogance and stupidity of Detriot never ceases to amaze