Are American's Taste In SUVS/Trucks To BLAME For Lacking Improvement In Fuel Economy Standards?

Here comes a hot take, folks.

A story fresh out of CAR magazine based in the UK has an interesting perspective. Essentially, the gist is that American consumer tastes are effectively what should be blamed for the automotive industry's lagging fuel economy standards.

Why, you ask? Well, that's simply because the folks from the red, white and blue prefer larger vehicles, which led to automakers not focusing on developing cleaner and more efficient engines. At least that's the thesis I am able to extract from this essay.

So, I've got to wonder: Is this piece off base or are American consumer tastes to BLAME for lagging fuel economy standards when you zoom out the timeline and look across 50 years?

...As with most upsizing trends – from human obesity to the volume of Coke cups – it started in the US, where the mass popularity of SUVs had a predictably dire effect on fuel economy. After a 60 per cent improvement in the average fuel economy of new cars sold in America from the mid ’70s to the early ’80s, the rate then stalled for the next 25 years.

This was a quarter century of great technical advances in fuel efficiency, including the widespread adoption of four-valve engines, six-speed gearboxes, low-rolling-resistance tyres and improved aerodynamics. So why the lack of progress?

Americans fell in love with SUVs and pick-ups. In 1982, cars accounted for 80 per cent of the US market, and SUVs and pick-ups just 20 per cent. Twenty-five years later it was 50:50. The shift to bigger and thirstier vehicles ruined all the good work done by the car industry (who couldn’t have cared less: there’s more profit in SUVs). There has been some progress since. Yet, for 2016, the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks sold in America was still just over 20 per cent better than in 1982, despite growing sales of electric cars and hybrids...

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Vette71 - 8/4/2018 5:24:20 PM

+2 Boost

Americans, even when we were skinny, have always preferred large vehicles, as we live in a wide less densely populated country relative to other places like the the author's homeland. Up until the early 1970's large vehicles were the norm and several attempts to sell small vehicles failed. The gas shortage in the 1970's introduced an economic interrupt to that and then politics started to play its hand. The UK and Europe had used taxes to force smaller cars but Americans won't stand for that. Our politicians know if they did that they wouldn't get reelected. Yes, the large car trend has slowed increases in average fuel economy, but the is a free choice Americans make. Even as hybrids, phevs and evs become a larger part of the USA mix, they'll still be larger and therefore less efficient than their smaller brethren of the same ilk.

valhallakey - 8/4/2018 6:49:49 PM

+2 Boost

Get rid of the fuel economy standards, but keep squeezing out lower emmisions from the tailpipe. You should not be penalized for selling only large luxurious cars/SUVs/trucks/whatever. However if you are polluting your fellow citizens air then you should have some repercussions.

TomM - 8/4/2018 7:30:10 PM

+1 Boost

Lowering emissions IS increasing Fuel Economy - and the Larger the Vehicle - the MORE pollutants it puts into the air -that includes Hybrids,Diesels, and EVs. The less emissions you emit - the more efficient your vehicle is in converting fuel to energy.

Your comment is not reality but then the Fuel mileage standards are NOT what YOU think either. THe fact is- that high 50+ is actually for small cars - and the size of the car is based on the wheelbase of the car. The MPG target for Larger vehicles is actually less than that for small cars. This has NOT been explained adequately.

What also has not been explained is that currently - the euro6 emission standards are actually a little more stringent on gas vehicles than California ones - although they have different standards for Diesel carbon emissions - and europe standards are applied to more vehicles. REducing standards in the USA will not hep the manufacturers - virtually ALL of which must meet the European standards because their cars are sold worldwide. Yes there will be a few engines that can only be sold in certain countries (likely in econocars) that emit more than others - but reducing OUR standards - puts OUR manufacturers at a distinct DISADVANTAGE when they want to sell American cars elsewhere.

TomM - 8/4/2018 7:35:23 PM

+1 Boost

It is the cost of Fuel that drives what consumers purchase here. THe fact is - gasoline in the USA is cheap compared to most other developed countries. Gasoline (Petrol) is likely to be at least twice the price - and often closer to three times the price of gas here in this country - which is why Europeans buy more tiny cars = and more diesels. Diesel fuel prices are much lower than gas in Europe because of the Trucking Industry.

If Gas cost as much HERE as it was in Europe - Truck and SUVS and all sorts of crossovers would not sell nearly as well.

valhallakey - 8/4/2018 11:52:46 PM

+4 Boost

Understand what you are saying, I a, just saying do not mandate a mileage number. If company X only builds large vehicles that require a larger engine that may not get great mpg I am ok with that as long as this engines are not massive polluters. Otherwise if you have mpg standards it forces company X not only to build smaller vehicles that may not be part of their business plan or brand identity, whatever...but to also sell a certain quantity of those small vehicles. in order to meet fleet mpg numbers.

Foncool - 8/5/2018 6:58:49 AM

+2 Boost

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20180804/ANE/180809920/europes-first-half-sales-beat-predictions-on-strong-suv-demand

MDarringer - 8/5/2018 10:06:12 AM

0 Boost

If the vehicle meets tailpipe standards, why should we care what MPG it gets? If a person wants to drive a 12mpg vehicle, why should anyone have an opinion about that?

vdiv - 8/5/2018 11:08:41 AM

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Because for every gallon of gasoline you burn you produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. The more fossil fuel your vehicle burns the more pollution it makes.

MDarringer - 8/5/2018 11:20:42 AM

+1 Boost

Let's assume that to be true, what gives you the right to be morally hubristic?

Foncool - 8/6/2018 5:47:40 AM

+2 Boost

This from the same group of people that believe higher taxes bring in more revenue.