When Congress was considering the nation's first fuel economy law in 1974, a Ford executive said the bill "could result in a Ford product line consisting ... of all sub-Pinto-sized vehicles." Congress passed the law anyway, and that's why you never see any car on the road bigger than a Mini Cooper. (SUVs? What SUVs?)
The law now saves an estimated 2.8 million barrels of gasoline per day. That's impressive -- so impressive Congress hasn't raised the standards since. So when President Bush met with the bosses of America's Big Three automakers the other day, they discussed fuel efficiency standards, right? Nope. Not a word.
One estimate says Detroit could boost profits by $2 billion with better fuel efficiency. Instead, the industry "would miss out on $3.6 billion in profit in 2010 should their fleets meet only the minimum government fuel-economy standards and gasoline costs $3.10 a gallon, according to the study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute."
Meanwhile, those foolish Japanese continue to produce fuel-efficient vehicles. What idiots. All that's done is push Toyota past Ford into the No. 2 spot among world automakers -- and they're breathing down General Motors' corporate neck.
i drive a 2003 toyota pickup,the last of the small trucks,4 cylinder,..a buddy of mine gets better gas milage w/his v8 chevy....??...harpers index notes that the avg.milage for all fords produced in 2005 is the same as it was in the 1920's!....last summer,while guesting on ray appletons show,mike der manuel offered as proof that iraq was not a war for oil,the sad fact of $3 gas....talk about blind faith! it's not unreasonable to consider outlawing the behemouth suv craziness......like 5 years ago!