Obama Sets New Auto Emissions and Mileage Rules

[tenINsFJ]

New cars aren't needed. People need to be taught how to drive.

My Acura CL according to EPA standards is supposed to get 23-24MPG. I get 33-34. I just read up on Hyper-Miling(without the tailgating part). I did the tailgating once and got 38 but thought it was too risky for a slight increase.
Hypermiling :: Even without a hybrid car, no more need to compare gas prices

Random stuff if you want to increase MPG without a new car;
Inflate your tires to proper psi.
Change your air filter.
Keep your windows up past 35 mph
TRY to keep A/C off.
accelerate slowly.
coast to a stop from a distance away towards a red light.(This annoys the crap out of people though, lmao).
and other stuff..

[93JC]

Originally Posted by Southern Kross

Exactly! No wonder they are all going under. I have to say though, Ford does not too badly around the world, that's probably why they're in a slightly better position than the others. I would only see a GM or Chrysler once in a blue moon here in NZ

You're telling me you don't see Holdens in New Zealand?

Riiiiight... I mean, they're only what: second? Third most popular brand in New Zealand?

If the American consumers don't want this then they are idiots. Its going to save them loads over the long term. I think the American public are often not informed about what they are missing out on. They don't have reasonable options when it comes to fuel efficient cars.

They don't want reasonable options. The fact is gasoline is so ridiculously cheap in the United States that the consumers will never, EVER willingly choose to buy the fuel efficient tin cans that most of the rest of the world buys.

Japan and Europe even make fuel efficient larger cars (lets face it that's what Americans love) that compete with the smaller, more fuel efficient American ones.

No, they don't. In fact some of the least efficient cars on US roads are big V8 & V12 German sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Be proud America! This may be one of the biggest enviromental policies to be introduced in history. I'm proud of you!

BTW here are some statistics to convince you of the disparity: American vs. Japanese fuel economy

Yeah, as if anyone should trust a table named "Japanese Cars" that has a bunch of Kias and Hyundais in it.

And the data in those tables isn't even correct to being with. Go to fueleconomy.gov and start double-checking this bozo's figures: they're wrong. They don't match.

[Oberon]

Here's my deal:

My 2000 Buick LeSabre will seat my entire family of six. I get 30mpg on the highway by keeping the tires up to spec pressure and using cruise control during my commute. I have 220 hp on tap if I need it for merging with traffic. I have one of the best-developed powerplants in the industry in GM's 3800cc V6. Right now my car has 171,000 miles on it and remains in serviceable condition. (I keep synthetic oil in the engine to minimize wear.) The Buick LeSabre continues (along with the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord) to top the J.D. Power and Consumer Report surveys for auto reliability. This car cost me $6500 when I bought it used in 2004, and I fully intend to drive the bloody wheels off it.

It would be difficult for me to duplicate this degree of utility per dollar. The only thing I give up to the Honda and the Toyota is resale value, and that is compensated by the reduced price point at purchase.



I would have to give up a lot for that additional 5.5 mpg.

[Oberon]

A Fleet of Tiny Expensive Cars

Click to read the Car and Driver article. Here's a point from it:

Wouldn't U.S. Consumers Buy Fuel Misers if They Could?

We hear a lot from regulators about the increased choice these new regulations will bring, but these choices seem to be answers to questions no consumer is asking. The few vehicles available today that meet these standards don't sell in large quantities because of their small size, poor performance, and high prices. Sales of the Toyota Prius and other hybrids briefly shot up when gas cost $4.00 a gallon, but as soon as gas prices started dropping, so did hybrid sales. Prius sales fell so sharply (even in relation to a market in overall decline) that Toyota last year halted construction of a Prius factory it was building in Mississippi. Today, the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. so far this year are the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. Nobody is stopping buyers of these vehicles from purchasing Priuses instead.

[Lateralus]

Wait, people actually believe regulations like these increase consumer choice?

[ptgatsby]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

Wait, people actually believe regulations like these increase consumer choice?

Regulations don't have to compress choice significantly - it just depends... it removes flexibility around the items that are regulated, yes, but that often means that they differentiate in other ways. Very true when it is topical differentiation, like style or signals social status.

[JocktheMotie]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

Wait, people actually believe regulations like these increase consumer choice?

Depends how you look at it. If this regulation forces automakers to diversify their 35 mpg+ lineups, consumers who find efficiency important will have more choices.

However, if efficiency is not something important to you and you'd rather have a multitude of vehicle roles and uses available to you, some of those choices are removed by these regulations, so this consumer suffers from a reduction of choice.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by ptgatsby

Regulations don't have to compress choice significantly - it just depends... it removes flexibility around the items that are regulated, yes, but that often means that they differentiate in other ways. Very true when it is topical differentiation, like style or signals social status.

I can assure you, the lady who does the grocery shopping with her three kids in tow does not give a sh!t what brand or color her car is. She wants it to haul her family and groceries on demand with no fuss and a minimum of expense. Period.

This is why people buy minivans.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by JocktheMotie

However, if efficiency is not something important to you...

It's not that efficiency is unimportant per se. It's just that fuel economy is usually one of several competing priorities, some of which mitigate against each other.

[ptgatsby]

Originally Posted by Oberon

This is why people buy minivans.

They won't disappear because of these regulations, if there is still demand.

The principle at work here is that a market at a current 'efficient' level gets 'cut off' and the new 'efficient' level may have multiple methods of being achieved. Right now the only alternative is fuel consumption - the alternatives might be hybrid/lighter frames/lower power, leading to more options... some of which will be more expensive (ie: heavier cars gain proportionally more from hybrids and weight loss, if they want to maintain power), and some which may be cheaper (total cost of ownership).