Bush administration pushes for better mileage

New guidelines unveiled Wednesday by the Bush administration will require an 11% improvement in fuel efficiency over four years starting in 2008. And, for the first time, some of the biggest SUVs, such as General Motors Corp.'s Hummer H2, must meet the new standards.

Environmental groups say the rules aren't tough enough; automakers say they represent a significant challenge.

But in the long run, the rules could help the SUV market by reviving sales, giving customers bigger rides that use less gas and providing hope that U.S. automakers could again count on these vehicles to consistently buoy their profits.

Full article here

MercBasher - 3/30/2006 10:52:00 PM

+1 Boost

So has the Bush administration suddenly seen the wisdom of less dependence on foreign oil, or is this the first of many feable attempts to pretend its not in the pockets of big oil?

vitomax - 3/31/2006 12:10:26 PM

+1 Boost

the car companies are hiding such engines. the europeans have very clean diesel cars that get 60+ mpg. if you combine that with electric hybrid you;re dver 100mpg. opel just announced that they will make their methane burning engines available across their entire line. very feul efficient clean and produced from organic waste such as corn husks. combine that with feul cells and see what happens and so on. the point is the technologies are all there and it's our responsibility to clean up our act for the planet and our children.

vitomax - 4/1/2006 11:57:58 AM

+1 Boost

mb e320cdi, bmw 320d, audi,peugeot, opel, renault, fiat, etc, etc.50% of cars sold in europe are diesel. massively expensive and intrusive social enginering project? it's already happening in europe and will happen here in the states. cleaner air and better feul economy are a no brainer. i did not mention anything about global warming, i'm talking clean air, hey if canada turns tropical because of global warming that would be great.

vitomax - 4/3/2006 10:00:30 AM

+1 Boost

wether you like it or not even the oil man president is pushing toward better feuj economy. i don't understand you're seeming resistance to a better deal. cleaner air and more mpg for your buck. the europeans and japanese are refining new technologies to acheive these goals.new emmissions standards in europe are in line with california and are constantly being pushed up by the eu. they don;t want to drown in smog. also they have diesel versions of just about every car, small, medium and large. the passat for eg. gets 40+mpg. business people travel a lot and buy the latest model audi, bmw, mb. diesels. i just spent a year in northern italy did a lot of driving in a leased mb r320d wagon . great car, economical, strong low end grunt and built like a tank. large diesels are a dime a dozen.