All About Japan Autos

The Obama administration wants to raise the auto industry’s fuel economy standard by three to six percent. If done, cars and light-duty trucks will be required to net a fuel economy as high as 62 mpg by 2025.

“The announcement, which the Environmental Protection Agency described as ‘scenarios,’ not guidelines, was aimed at limiting the emission of greenhouse gases that many scientists say contribute to global warming,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “The new steps follow up on rules the federal government adopted in April that would increase average fuel economy of cars to 34 mpg by 2016.”

Bloomberg quotes Dan Becker, Director of Safe Climate Campaign: “A 6 percent increase ‘will be the biggest single step the United States can take to cut global warming and our oil addiction. This proposal represents the triumph of technology over intransigence.”

Still, the change won’t come cheap for car shoppers. To reach the 62 mpg goal, the auto industry will have to rely on a range of alternative-power vehicles, which usually cost more than traditional gas-powered ones. “The government envisions gas-electric hybrids making up about half the lineup of new vehicles under the most aggressive standards, while electrics and plug-ins would comprise about 10 percent of the fleet,” explains the Associated Press.

According to the Detroit News: “The toughest requirements could add $3,500 to the cost of a vehicle, or as much as $50 billion annually to what Americans spend on new vehicles. The lower end of the 3 percent to 6 percent range would add $770.”

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