Obama set to release new fuel efficiency standards

[thundley4]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will issue new fuel efficiency standards and pair them with a broader goal of reducing pollution from vehicle tailpipes, marking the first time limits on greenhouse gases will be linked to federal standards for cars and trucks.
Officials familiar with the administration's discussions say Obama will unveil the new standards on Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not been made.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs would not release details of the announcement on Monday, although he said the administration has been working with states, businesses and environmental groups on a deal.
California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia have urged the federal government to let them enact more stringent standards than the federal government's requirements. The states' regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and trucks by 2016.
Officials said Tuesday's announcement moves toward the 30 percent goal by 2016, starting with model years 2011 and beyond

Link

I can see this causing more economic problems for Detroit, and even the imports. People are not going to want the tiny cars that will be necessitated by these standards. They'll just keep their old "gas guzzlers" running longer, at least until they are banned, too.

[DumbAss Tanker]

That should be just ever so helpful.

[NHSparky]

42 mpg by 2016?  Yeah, that's gonna happen...NOT.

[thundley4]

42 mpg by 2016?  Yeah, that's gonna happen...NOT.

I dunno, with Chrysler and GM being forced to make the smaller more efficient cars that 0Bama wants,(but no one will buy), they might meet those fleet standards. Ford however, will not be under that onus, so they'll offer some very high mileage cars, that no one will buy, but they will still offer the bigger cars, SUV's and trucks that everyone wants. This would be a boon to Ford, and will be, but only briefly.  Congress will come along with some mandates, (taxes) that will force everyone to buy into the small crappy cars.

[djones520]

WASHINGTON -- With two of Detroit's Big Three automakers no longer able to resist, the Obama White House will announce sped-up fuel economy standards that will require all auto-makers, including Detroit's foreign competitors, to increase fleet fuel efficiency by 5 percent per year starting in 2012.

The new rules will require a fleet fuel efficiency standard of 35.5 miles per gallon by model year 2016, a big jump from the 2009 model year requirement of 25 mpg. A senior administration official said the changes (when compared to current pollution and vehicle use totals) will have the effect of removing 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air, taking 177 million cars off the road, and shutting down 194 coal-fired power plants.

A senior administration official called the standards "tough and historic" and predicted it will be achieved with only minor modifications to vehicle and engine design.

"You will see some changes," the official said, adding that "off-the-shelf" technology will allow most automakers to retro-fit their cars, light truck and SUVS "without dramatically changing them."

For 2016 -- the final year new the rules will apply -- the fleet fuel efficiency standard for all domestically sold passenger cars will be 39 mpg. It will be 30 mpg for all domestically sold light trucks and sport utility vehicles. The average of these two equals a passenger car and light truck fuel efficiency standard of 35.5 mpg. The current requirements are 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg or trucks. The tighter standards will first affect the 2011 model year for cars and trucks.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/18/obama-auto-plan-links-auto-emissions-mileage-standards/

 

I don't think I can say anything else...

[Splashdown]

It's the '70s all over again.

 

[Wineslob]

It'll never happen. All this crap over an un-proven theory.

[NHSparky]

No, they'll never ACHIEVE it, but it sure as hell won't stop them from trying to jam us all into Priuses or onto public transportation, neither of which is a realistic option about 8 months of the year where I live.

[Chris_]

Well....if you enjoy a vehicle with a modicum of performance, interior room, and safety in a collision, or need one with some load-carrying capacity for work, it would be my suggestion that you purchase it now.........and plan on keeping it for some time.

The laws of physics being what they are, the only manner in which these standards can be accomplished with current technology is to make the vehicles 30-40% lighter in weight (at the expense of crash survivalability, and overall size and interior room), and powerplants limited to the one or one point five liter range (exactly like EU standards)........the emission portion of the proposed standard alone will strangle engine output into the under 100 horsepower range........

Proving once again that liberalism is a mental disorder and not an ideology........

A sad day for Americans, and worth noting that it is being done.......not by a vote of the people, but by a mandate from the messiah...........

Wonder when those who voted for this charlatan will finally realize what they have done..........

doc

[DumbAss Tanker]

An SUV that gets 35.5 MPG.  Jesus F. Christ.  Obviously not intended to ever be used by anyone who would really NEED 4-wheel drive.

 

[Traveshamockery]

Idiots - all of them.  Idiots!   

[JohnnyReb]

Hey ya'll, this will work......if all your driving is down hill.

[thundley4]

This is the only vehicle that the left will be satisfied with.

[Ree]

How will this effect full sized trucks(F-250 and up)?

[Chris_]

An SUV that gets 35.5 MPG.  Jesus F. Christ.  Obviously not intended to ever be used by anyone who would really NEED 4-wheel drive.

 

Actually a WW II Willys military Jeep would come close to this with a little work on the engine, but the killer is the emissions.........

Under this mandate it is unlikely that you will be able to buy a 4WD vehicle, or the manufacturers would be unable to build one........however CAFE is an "average" standard, and the manufacturers meet it by limiting (severely) the availability to the public of the less fuel efficient vehicles.........there is a point at which you can only reduce the production volume of even the most profitable vehicle where it becomes unprofitable.......which is the ultimate goal, of course.......

doc

[Chris_]

How will this effect full sized trucks(F-250 and up)?

The standard will effect all trucks from 30-series (one ton), and lower...........

doc

[Ree]

The standard will effect all trucks from 30-series (one ton), and lower...........

doc

well that just sux

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

I wonder what will happen if:

A) a manufacturer cannot foot the bill for R & D and be able to meet the deadline. We just came through a period of the government laying waste to entire tracts of US law claiming that the companies were simply too big to be allowed to fail; but they may eat those words if one or more automakers say they cannot afford the capital outlays to meet the deadline. What will the government do then: shutdown they who are too big to be allowed to fail?

B) US plants start exporting jobs to equalize the capital overhead. The recession deepens meaning fewer jobs and less money to buy these monstrosities. Considering how many foreign businesses have plants in the US it would be hard to stop them. Domestic automakers are teetering as it is.

C) a manufacturer decides the cost cuts too deep into profitability. Could you imagine somebody like Kia or Hyundai saying they're pulling out of US markets because the loss of business is less than the loss of money required to meet the accelerated deadline?

D) the American public realizes they're being asked to sacrifice safety and performance at a higher cost. There's a reason why the Yugo failed almost as bad as the nation of its birth: nobody wanted to ride in an uncomfortable deathtrap...and they sure as hell aren't going to want to do it now for the low, low price of $40k.


This boob is over-reaching. As bad as it hurts in the interim if his work can be blunted from embedding itself too deeply we just might be witnessing the death of liberalism.

[thundley4]

I think that the foreign companies will have a head start on the big three, and that advantage will further hurt sales. The foreign companies can import their designs and more easily retool their plants here than the big three. They could then sell their cars at lower prices, and with more proven technologies than US companies. The new CAFE standards are just a drawn out nail in the coffin of the big three.

[Peter3_1]

In the past Rolls ceased assembling cars in the USA, FIAT withdrew completely, as dod MG, Austin, Austin Healy, Jensen, Peugeot, Citron, Opel, and others. The requirements are foolish, as it has put the American Mfgrs. in the position of getting diminishing returns. Remember the disasterous X-Body GM cars?


GVT engineered cars have been, are and will continue to be DISASTERS!

[Hawkgirl]

Rush made a good point today...what about semi trucks...those 18 wheelers?  What about cargo ships sailing across the pond?  Why are they targeting US..the middle class, taxpayers by trying to smash small, dangerous cars down our throats...while Pelosi, Reid and Gore fly in personal jets???

Where is the public outcry????

[Chris_]

Rush made a good point today...what about semi trucks...those 18 wheelers?  What about cargo ships sailing across the pond?  Why are they targeting US..the middle class, taxpayers by trying to smash small, dangerous cars down our throats...while Pelosi, Reid and Gore fly in personal jets???

Where is the public outcry????

In short, there will be no public outcry, because that's the way the bastards in Washington have arranged things. 

The folks who are to be most adversely affected ar those of us who are working 40-60+ hours a week just trying to pay for our families' necessities, and the ever expanding largesse of our governments at all levels.  We're too ****ing exhausted carrying the deadbeats, layabouts and DUmb****s on our backs to do much more than whimper everytime our own ****ing government lashes us with another stripe for "not caring enough"  . 

The rest of this country are the DUmbasses who ARE the deadbeats, layabouts and DUmb****s who see no vested interest in climbing down off our backs, or their Lordships and Ladyships, who continue to ensure their careers in a field that the Founders NEVER intended to be a ****ing CAREER, by promising everybody and their *******ed dog the free ride on our backs, so long as they keep pulling the lever for them in November.

[Duke Nukum]

Officials said Tuesday's announcement moves toward the 30 percent goal by 2016, starting with model years 2011 and beyond

Okay, 2016, so the Obama wont have to worry about getting re-elected over the anger of people having to drive tinker toys.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Actually a WW II Willys military Jeep would come close to this with a little work on the engine, but the killer is the emissions.........

Under this mandate it is unlikely that you will be able to buy a 4WD vehicle, or the manufacturers would be unable to build one........however CAFE is an "average" standard, and the manufacturers meet it by limiting (severely) the availability to the public of the less fuel efficient vehicles.........there is a point at which you can only reduce the production volume of even the most profitable vehicle where it becomes unprofitable.......which is the ultimate goal, of course.......

doc

Well, Doc, you're right about that, and the same could be said for the German counterpart, the VW Kuebelwagen.  Both had comparable (tiny about 40 hp and 1200 cc) engines and were basically too small to actually carry any cargo, and lacked any rollover protection whatsoever (due to high hard sides, the VW might have been marginally safer, if there is such a thing as a 'Safer deathtrap').  I've had plenty of practice driving  M38-series military Jeeps as well as the successor M151-series Mutts which were in service when I enlisted, and the first car I ever owned was a used '74 VW Thing (the 'luxury' Kuebelwagen, somewhat heavier and with a 1600 cc SuperBeetle engine, and still underpowered on or off the road).  Neither the Willys nor the VW are  suitable as general purpose Ag/industrial work vehicles, snce they lack any actual cargo bed or deck.  During WW2 both of them were pressed 'way past their inherent limits due to the necessities of war, but then again the guys using them could get another one from their respecitve supply systems when they drove their ride into the ground, they didn't have the burden of having to make their own personal vehicle last.