Cars
After President Obama's joke at the White House Correspondent's Dinner regarding his status as the top auto executive of the year - a pretty good joke, by the way - it was quickly revealed that the liberal Democrat prez decided to firmly pull forward the date for new CAFE standards. (Not in the know about CAFE? It's not Tim Hortons or Starbucks - check it out.) Edmunds.com performed some relatively easy investigations in order to discover that the new standards for 2016, 35.5 miles per gallon, aren't at all 35.5 miles per gallon.
- Ford Predicts Four-cylinder Engines Will Make Up Two-thirds Of U.s. Market By 2020
Ford is predicting that four-cylinder engines will represent two-thirds of U.S. new-vehicle sales by the end of the decade. Four-cylinder units now make up more than half of the U.S. market but their share will continue to grow as a result of strict...
- Obama Administration Pushes Back Announcement On 54.5 Mpg Cafe Regulations
The stricter fuel consumption standards that the Obama administration planned to introduce this week will be delayed, according to a report from Reuters. The government pushed hard to gain the automakers’ approval, and after making some concessions,...
- Obama Announces 35.5mpg Average For 2016 And National Standard For Tailpipe Emissions
The Obama administration today announced tougher fuel mileage standards and tailpipe emission limits forcing automakers to meet a fleetwide average of 35.5 miles per gallon (6.6lt/100km) by 2016, four years sooner than what Congress required in 2007,...
- Edmunds.com's Fuel Economy Test
Toyota's Prius, a 3-year old Volkswagen Jetta, the smart fortwo, and a Ford Focus got together in an efficiency war at Edmunds.com. The results are interesting, to say the least. Check out the Numbers below. While you're at it, check out The...
- Contrary To Conspiracy Theories, Gas Mileage Is Rising
Based on preliminary sales estimates, the Transportation Department in the USofA has declared that 2007 will be a very efficient year, fuel-wise. The average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the States is likely to be the best ever, in fact. The year...
Cars
NEW CAFE STANDARDS CONFUSE DELIGHT DISAPPOINT
After President Obama's joke at the White House Correspondent's Dinner regarding his status as the top auto executive of the year - a pretty good joke, by the way - it was quickly revealed that the liberal Democrat prez decided to firmly pull forward the date for new CAFE standards. (Not in the know about CAFE? It's not Tim Hortons or Starbucks - check it out.) Edmunds.com performed some relatively easy investigations in order to discover that the new standards for 2016, 35.5 miles per gallon, aren't at all 35.5 miles per gallon.In fact, when the Environmental Protection Agency began adjusting window sticker mpg ratings for the benefit of consumers in the recent past, CAFE didn't follow along. So CAFE's numbers remain inflated. If CAFE's numbers are grossly inflated, which I just said they are, then the numbers you and I quote every day have nothing to do with the 35.5 mpg figure mandated for 2016. See that 29mpg vehicle parked outside? That's a 39mpg vehicle in the eyes of Corporate Average Fuel Economy. Just as purple is the new black (judging by Le Chateau's window mannequins), so 26mpg is the new 35.5mpg. Moreover, 35.5mpg applies to cars. Truck CAFe is "just" 30mpg. Although that's a necessary average for trucks and not a minimum requirement, its translation to 23mpg on the EPA stickers ain't so bad.
You were wondering why the automakers weren't putting up so much fuss, eh? Considering the list of cars currently being produced that already meet the 2016 standard... uh, no wonder they're not panicking. General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai/Kia all have multiple cars on the list of vehicles that are already, er, ready. Volkswagen's diesel-engined Jetta, the smart fortwo, and the Mini Cooper are present and accounted for. On the truck side, plenty of small SUVs and trucklets, including the Ford Ranger and Toyota RAV4, meet 2016 standards.
Find the links you need to better understand this confusing story below.
Edmunds Inside Line
Edmunds
Cars List
Trucks List
- Ford Predicts Four-cylinder Engines Will Make Up Two-thirds Of U.s. Market By 2020
Ford is predicting that four-cylinder engines will represent two-thirds of U.S. new-vehicle sales by the end of the decade. Four-cylinder units now make up more than half of the U.S. market but their share will continue to grow as a result of strict...
- Obama Administration Pushes Back Announcement On 54.5 Mpg Cafe Regulations
The stricter fuel consumption standards that the Obama administration planned to introduce this week will be delayed, according to a report from Reuters. The government pushed hard to gain the automakers’ approval, and after making some concessions,...
- Obama Announces 35.5mpg Average For 2016 And National Standard For Tailpipe Emissions
The Obama administration today announced tougher fuel mileage standards and tailpipe emission limits forcing automakers to meet a fleetwide average of 35.5 miles per gallon (6.6lt/100km) by 2016, four years sooner than what Congress required in 2007,...
- Edmunds.com's Fuel Economy Test
Toyota's Prius, a 3-year old Volkswagen Jetta, the smart fortwo, and a Ford Focus got together in an efficiency war at Edmunds.com. The results are interesting, to say the least. Check out the Numbers below. While you're at it, check out The...
- Contrary To Conspiracy Theories, Gas Mileage Is Rising
Based on preliminary sales estimates, the Transportation Department in the USofA has declared that 2007 will be a very efficient year, fuel-wise. The average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the States is likely to be the best ever, in fact. The year...