Posted on 05/30/2007 6:47:18 AM PDT by PissAndVinegar
Beginning this Memorial Day weekend, members of the auto industry are rolling out a comprehensive campaign to convince Americans to oppose proposed increases in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and to pressure their elected officials to vote down such proposals.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) has launched a website (www.drivecongress.com) that encourages citizens to compose messages of protest against “unrealistic fuel economy increases” to be hand-delivered to elected officials. AAM represents BMW, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.
The website allows users to insert statements provided by the AAM, such as “I value fuel economy, but I also want many other attributes in my automobile like safety, passenger and cargo room, performance, towing, hauling capacity and more” or “Rather than setting a harmful mandates [sic] like the one being proposed, the government should encourage the use of alternative fuels like ethanol, and provide incentives for consumers, like me, to purchase alternative fuel autos.”
The Detroit News reports that the campaign will also include at least a million dollars of radio ads in ten states that have a high percentage of truck and SUV owners.
The AAM’s efforts are bolstered by parallel campaigns from DaimlerChrysler and General Motors, each of which has brought a dedicated website online to help with the campaign.
According to GM’s website (drivingamericasfuture.com), CAFE standards “deter innovation”; “have no near term effect on oil consumption”; “foster competitive disparities that discriminate against US automakers”; and are “a 1970’s solution to a 21st Century problem.”
The website cites the steady rise in US oil consumption as an indicator that CAFE standards have failed, but does not calculate the level of consumption that might exist if such standards had not been enacted.
DaimlerChrysler’s password-protected website (www.grabdemocracybythehorns.com) is described as a “grassroots advocacy website, a legislative activation tool that provides employees, retirees, dealers and suppliers with a means to conveniently contact elected officials about the issues that concern you, your family and our company.”
CAFE standards were enacted in 1975, when Congress ordered automakers to more than double the fuel economy for passenger cars from 13 miles per gallon to 27.5 miles per gallon within a decade, which the industry achieved. Since then, Congress has regularly considered increasing CAFE standards, but has not approved a fuel economy increase for passenger cars. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) increased fuel economy standards for SUVs by 2 percent per year, rising from 21.6 miles per gallon to 24 miles per gallon by 2012.
Then, why do we need more regulations?
My 91 Fox WV got 40+ MPG easily.. in the 80s the Diesel rabbit easily got 50 MPG.... BOTH were far better machines than the Metro or the Festiva, bigger too.
Its not just size, transmission gear ratios, hp to weight ratio, etc all matter in MPG.
I recently traded a 240 HP car that got 30 mpg average. My wife’s car does better than that at 35 mpg. Both are American cars.
Probably not very hard, but "not very costly" might be a different story. Multiple variants of the same vehicle WILL cause costs to go up. Is it worth it to you to pay an extra $3,000 or $5,000 for that vehicle because they offer it in a diesel engine as well? If there is sufficient demand for these alternatives that you would like to see for it to be worthwhile, then Detroit will make them. If there isn't sufficient demand, then having the government mandate these changes will result only in market distortions and higher prices for everybody.
Indeed. I expect this will go over with the public about as well as a wet fart.
I had a Pontiac GrandAm that got good mileage...which was not much of a concern in the 90s.
Right. And government intervention in the market will do a better (more efficient) job of allocating resources and making better production decisions. We expect this because of the excellent track-record of production decisions in government directed economies in the past, right?
The Church of Eco says Diesel is Evil and that’s that. If you want to make a differnce, lobby the government to get these in. All three automakers have state of the art diesels ready to go from their European operations.
40 outta a Fox? I just went to www.fueleconomy.gov and it’s a 30 MPG car.
The only product decision being mandated is fuel economy.
Fine, but don’t come crying to us about how much it costs to fill the tanks on that sucker with $4/gallon gas. I’m not saying that you will, but some people seem to want it all their way, ignoring reality.
I think the last American car that seats six is the Mercury Marquis. I get about 15 MPG.
The reality is, fuel economy can be improved without simply dropping weight. Lets face facts.
I own a 1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible, it gets about 25-28 MPG highway... the brand new 2008 Sebring Convertible, has the EXACT same MPG rating.... 12 years difference between the two. Please don’t tell me that there has been ZERO improvement in fuel economy in over a decade.
Counter this to my full size van with a 351 5.0L V8, it gets 14 MPG highway, a brand new van with a v8 gets about 18 MPG highway, with a smaller 4.6L V8 and it has a higher towing capacity as well! The body styles are nearly identical between the two vehciles, and the overall weight of the vehicles is not much different... and in spite of this, the newer vehicle has a 28% improvement in fuel economy!
Now whats the difference that 1 vehicle where the newer model is actually smaller and lighter, but has ZERO improvement in fuel economy in 12 years, and another vehicle that actually has a smaller engine, is more fuel efficient, has greater towing and power and has virtually the exact same exterior styling as the predecessor but has nearly a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency over 14 years? Simple, the manufacturer made fuel efficiency an issue during design of the engine and vehicle. The other did not.
I don’t believe you will see system wide fuel economy changes without mandates, just like you didn’t in the 70s until they had to do it. The idea that the only way you can get improvement in MPG is simply dropping weight, or giving up horsepower, is nonsense. Yes those are quick and easy ways to do it, but with the best gasoline engine only turning about 38% of the energy of gasoline into actual power the other 62% being lost to heat and friction, there is a ton of room for improvement.
Hell, just converting from Gasoline to Desiel based engines gives the automotive manufacturers an instant 12% gain in efficency and fuel economy, because Diesel engines only lose about 50% of the total energy in fuel to heat and friction... So at the very least a 10% improvement in fuel economy would be system wide if a major conversion to Diesel was made in the US.
I know I’ll get flamed, but those are the facts.
Nope, I had the 5 speed GLS model, 1991, I got routinely 40 MPG highway. 12 gallons of gas, and fill up around 475 miles when traveling, it was AWESOME.
The 4 speed without overdrive didn’t get as good of a mileage, obviously, but that 5th gear made all the difference.
That was a great little car, a compact yes, and the engine was insanely small, little inline 4, .9 litre, only took up about 1/2 of the engine compartment, but it ran like a champ, and when paired with the manual 5 speed could get all the accelleration and speed I needed.
The left loves to chant, ‘no blood for oil’, yet when automobiles are made too flimsy for the sake of fuel economy, that is exactly what happens: higher rates of death and injury when the body of the vehicle is not strong enough to protect the occupants.
But then, when did the left really know what it wants, let alone be consistent about it?
I know, diesel is a far better solution particularly TDI from a green perspective than all this hybrid nonsense.
Now that they have FINALLY gotten the new sulfur standards in place for Diesel, the big 3 should be pushing Diesel, TDI is great and meets or beats all this hybrid crap nonsense and far more eco friendly and cost effective.
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