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Not to be disrespectful, just to disagree ... the premise of some of your remarks is profoundly faulty ...

" ... to the ridiculously inefficient and unstable SUV class ... "

Perhaps you never owned a 1977 Chevy Malibu sedan, or a 1972 Ford Maverick, or 1970 Plymouth Satellite ... All these had lousy gas mileage compared to today's vehicles with similar or larger displacement engines, and were far less crash-worthy. Today's vehicles/powertrains are far more fuel efficient. SOME people own vehicles that far exceed their needs in terms of size/space/capacities, but they are entitled to do that. BUT you cannot reasonably slam an entire class. IF you need a large SUV for business, family or activity needs, they ARE NOT ridiculously inefficient.

Also, as a former race car driver and instructor, I can factually testify that SUVs are not inherently "unstable". Their maneuvering behavior is absolutely predictable, they communicate well-enough back to the driver through the wheel and the chassis, and they are quite forgiving. I could drive my Ford Escape faster, safely around Road Atlanta's 12 turns than 99% of drivers in their Honda Accord. A 1996 Porsche 911 is harder to drive safely than a 2005 Ford Expedition. Now, can they (SUVs/trucks) be driven fast or "aggressively" compared to a 'high performance sedan'? Absolutely not. But that's just physics.

I welcome a fact-based discussion ;-)

The 1972 Ford Maverick was a terrible vehicle, but it was better in every respect than a 1949 Ford Sedan. Vehicle technology improves with every generation. Because a 2005 Ford Escape is superior to a 1972 Ford Maverick does not mean a much better car would not be available in a deregulated environment.

The problem with CAFE is it exempted light trucks from the standard. The definition of a light truck mandated that the load floor for the SUV class must be flat from the tailgate to the back of the driver's seat. This requires the load floor to be placed entirely above the rear axle.

Normally, the decision on where to place this floor would be made by the designer, and would be lowered as much as possible to lower center of gravity and improve stability and aerodynamics. But this design decision has been removed from the designer, and been mandated by legislation.

The resulting vehicle is taller and more unstable that it otherwise would need to be. This makes them more inefficient that they would otherwise need to be.

Hey, if you need to go off road or carry 4x8s around, a large SUV might be the very thing. Some were sold even before the CAFE dodge came along, and some would be sold today. But most people who buy SUVs only do so because conventional vehicles with comparable power and room are no longer available, because they are not exempt and have been all but made illegal under CAFE.

If CAFE were eliminated, and the decisions were placed back into the hands of the designers, they would come up with a better solution to this problem.