Which automaker still doesn't like the new CAFE rules? Volkswagen, that's who. After claiming the proposed 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were biased back in August, VW is again saying, hey, wait a minute, let's not be so dismissive of diesel engines.

When the original 54.5 mpg CAFE proposal was announced (which will actually be around 40 mpg in the real world), Volkswagen did not sign on to the agreement. The reason is that VW says the current plan helps U.S. automakers by being lenient on big pickups but doesn't have much love for modern diesel vehicles.

Make that "enough love," since the EPA says the rule does give "credits for technologies with potential to achieve real-world CO2 reductions and fuel economy improvements that are not captured by the standards test procedures." According to Reuters, since August, Volkswagen America's general counsel and VW representatives have met with the White House and "transportation and environmental regulators" to express the company's concerns. We haven't heard that VW's efforts are bearing any fruit, but that doesn't mean we won't hear more about them in the future.

Volkswagen still fighting new CAFE rules originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Government/Legal

In advance of eagerly awaited details regarding proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, Consumer Reports has released results of a new survey, and - no surprise here - 93 percent of respondents "support increased fuel efficiency." Further revelations include 77 percent in favor of car manufacturers producing more fuel-efficient vehicles, and 80 percent agreeing with fuel economy standards requiring fleet averages to top 55 miles per gallon by 2025. Mark Cooper, Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement,

"These results reflect the strongest support for higher fuel economy standards and willingness to adopt new fuel savings technologies we have seen to date."

If there's anything truly interesting to be gleaned from the results, it's that 56 percent of those surveyed claim to be considering a hybrid or EV, with fuel costs cited as a primary motivation. Correspondingly, 81 percent of consumers indicate that they would be willing to pay extra for a vehicle if it was cheaper to operate.

And these weren't just readers of Consumer Reports who were being polled. The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted telephone interviews with 1,008 people over the age of 18 who were chosen as a "nationally representative probability sample."

While automakers have long decried Americans' willingness to put their money where their mouths are when it comes to fuel economy, if this survey is indeed reflective of consumer trends, that could be changing.

To read the full press release, continue past the jump.

Continue reading Consumer Reports: Large majority favor stronger fuel economy standards

Consumer Reports: Large majority favor stronger fuel economy standards originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Technology, Electric, Diesel

Now that he's retired, Norman Mineta - the longest serving U.S. Transportation Secretary in history - is publicly speaking the kind of plain sense you don't much get from sitting politicians. Or, at least, he's taking the credit and the heat for it. Mineta released a white paper at a National Press Club that presented the position of the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars, a group founded in 2009.

The paper title is a clear enough indicator of the lengthy points made: "The Case for Technology Neutral Public Policy in Fuel Economy Debate: Allowing Performance To Determine Solutions." Mineta asks that, instead of the government choosing which technologies it thinks are superior and supporting them with taxpayer dollars, in this case EVs and plug-in hybrids, that it take a technology-neutral approach and allow each technology and mass-market adoption decide where fiscal resources should be placed.

Among other things, the paper argues that high-efficiency gasoline and diesel engines are within 15 percent of the performance of EVs and hybrids, and that they are the most effective way to lower emissions in the near- and medium-term. As well, the Administration's preference for battery-assisted vehicles is taking R&D money away from potentially better solutions, taxpayer money should be used to subsidize technologies for so little return and - surprise - the CAFE measurement methodology is outdated.

Mineta met current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss diesels, but it would be shocking to imagine the administration would walk back from the initiatives its been pushing almost since it took office.

Ex-DOT head urges Washington to 'treat diesels fairly' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Government/Legal

The Obama Administration will reportedly delay the release of the U.S.' most ambitious fuel economy proposal ever.

Word is the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency won't be able to string together a Corporate Average Fuel Economy draft for Model Year 2017-25 for public comment by the end of this week, as was initially intended. Instead, sources close to the matter claim the proposal won't be rolled out until November, or possibly even later. But even with the expected delay, the administration should remain on track to meet its deadline of issuing final guidelines by July of 2012.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and EPA are jointly writing the regulations based on the July agreement, which tentatively calls for automakers to hit a CAFE target of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Sources claim regulators are moving slower than anticipated on details of the official proposal to ensure it covers issues likely to be voiced during the public comment period.

White House delaying release of new fuel economy standards originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Hyundai

Like nearly every other automaker these days, Hyundai is keenly focused on bringing fuel-efficient vehicles to market. That apparently means the automaker doesn't currently see a need for a halo sportscar to compete with the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette, though it recognizes it would be an exciting addition to the lineup. Hyundai's North American CEO, John Krafcik tells Ward's Auto that even though such a model would would be a fun addition to the family, a range-topping sports car would also probably be a poor investment that wouldn't serve the brand properly.

Krafcik is clearly focused on building more fuel efficient machines, and he argues that vehicles like the new Veloster coupe can provide sort of reverse halo from the bottom-up, not unlike the way the CTS has been the star of the Cadillac lineup for some time. This strategy seems like a smart move ahead of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements waiting just a few years down the road.

Every automaker has a reason to be concerned about CAFE, but as Krafcik points out in an interview with Ward's Auto, loopholes exist in the legal requirements that may allow car companies to switch up their product strategy without aggressively pursuing more fuel-efficient products. Larger vehicles are subject to less strict requirements, and Krafcik argues that some smaller vehicles will likely fall by the wayside as an unintended consequence. This sort of thinking could allow a few manufacturers to skirt around the more strict CAFE requirements. An example of this is the decline of the compact pickup truck, which has given way to the less-restricted full-size.

Hyundai CEO downplays Corvette competitor, warns of CAFE loopholes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

According to a new study by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, new Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards that mandate cars and light trucks average 54.5 mpg by 2025 will deprive federal highway projects of more than $65 billion in revenues.

That estimation is based on the fact that at-the-pump taxes levied on fuel are by law funneled to transportation projects. With mandatory CAFE fuel mileage increases, the amount of revenue collected from gas taxes will go down, which will cut into road revenues, the report says.

Of course, there are ways of circumventing that lost income, but all that will surely play out in the coming few years. In the meantime, click past the jump to see the report for yourself. Naturally, it's worth noting that the ARTBA, based in Washington, DC, is a group that represents the interests of road and construction workers.

Continue reading New CAFE standards will result in $65B in lost revenue for road projects

New CAFE standards will result in $65B in lost revenue for road projects originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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