Auto Executives Back Obama's Emissions Plan

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A second Automotive Dark Ages is coming. The first occured in the 1970's. That Dark Ages was caused by the first smog emission standards. From 1971 thru about 1975 the emission standards got tougher each year and each year's new model cars were progressively less powerful, slower and poor running than the previous year's model. Cars hit the nadir in 1975 and remained there until the early 1980s when technology started to catch up with the standards and cars finally began to impove each year. The President's new "greenhouse gas/fuel economy" standards will cause a new automotive Dark Ages. Expect new car performance and utility to diminish rapidly as we move through model years 2012 to 2016 and remain low until technology catches up. Having lived through the first Dark Ages and knowing a second was coming, I purchsed my "retirement car" (a new Ford Mustang GT) six years early as this breed of new car will not be available six years from now. I will be keeping it and will not be purchasing one of the new Obama cars. So please you future owners of 2012 and newer cars, watch your rear view mirrors carefully and please move to the right when you see one of us in an older car coming up behind you.

Richard lefevre of CA 1:15AM June 02, 2009

I cannot believe a writer for a national magazine or for that matter, the Obama Administration would fail to mention E85's or FFV's when talking about making our country cleaner. The first thing that Obama should have done was to mandate that all future vehicles in the U.S. would be FFV's. Then instead of the ridiculous Cash for Clunkers, the administration should have offered coupons for converting older vehicles to E85 specs. Instead of giving hundreds of Billions of Dollars to the Cellulosic Ethanol Flim Flam Researchers, he should repeal the tariff on imported Clean and Green Sugarcane based Ethanol. The Cellulosic Ethanol Researchers have done nothing but open demo plant after demo plant all at taxpayer expense. Cellulosic Ethanol is the new Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac $Trillion Bank Robbery waiting to happen. Instead of going with unsafe Clown Cars that will kill millions of Americans, he should simply realize that a safe E85 SUV is just as clean to the environment as an unsafe Battery operated Clown Car. Instead of making Ethanol from Corn we should be trading Corn to Third World Countries for Sugarcane based Ethanol. They overcome poverty. We get cleaner and greener Ethanol. We get stronger and more able to thump our noses at the Mid East the next time they jack up their prices for some fake crisis. Instead of doing something stupid like taking oil out of the Military Strategic Petroleum Reserves, we could build Civilian Petroleum Reserves in CA and NY. God knows they need the jobs. That would really make our country stronger unlike the Obama lies that we are stronger because we eliminated enhanced interrogation techniques or closed down Gitmo and gave all the Terrorist American civil rights.

Chip Daigle of LA 10:43PM June 01, 2009

The Ford Fusion is close with 41 MPG and most trucks will have to be hybrids. Other car makers have smaller 5 passenger cars with all the safety features that are close to the requirements. There will have to be a lot more small car owners to offset those that need larger cars with lower gas mileage.

Glen Carey of WA 7:27PM June 01, 2009

Isn't it a wonder that the heads of the car industry are agreeing with their defacto boss, the President? What morons for failing to see that this is Chicago politics, get on board or be thrown under the train

Linda of FL 5:24PM May 31, 2009

you know what sad about this situation with the us auto industry they knew about a more efficiencie car was need it from them but they did'nt seem to care so they build a small pinto then gms follow with their own but they were not very reliable not like the japanes cars (honda,toyota,nissan)they are good in gas milles and depandable and what the us auto industry were doing about this competation well they took they small car and put them away and build bigger autos with poor gas milles and now that is to late, we see them chasing their shadow,so as we can the future can f u up...

marco of TX 11:19AM May 31, 2009

Physics is physics. The only way efficiency will be improved (barring a technological breakthrough) is by decreasing the mass of the vehicles. Instead of heavy steel, more aluminum and plastic will have to be used. While that will certainly raise fuel efficiency, it's also gonna cut down on safety. I like having a heavy steel cage around my body when driving 70mph on the highway. I sure as hell don't want a lighter, weaker aluminum one.

SLS2 of OH 3:59PM May 30, 2009

Governor Sarah Palin must beat Barack Obama in 2012 because of her superior conservative right wing philosophy in that she is pro God and Christianity, pro life, pro marriage; pro guns-second amendment, pro low taxes, pro low government spending; pro small government, pro unintrusive government, pro traditional and Judeo Christian values; pro Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, pro Christians schools and private education , pro private and free enterprise; pro military spending, anti arms agreements with Russia, pro creation; pro nuclear, pro conservative supreme court judges, pro American sovereignty; pro capitalism, anti communist, anti socialist; conservative on immigration, and pro constitution. Barack Obama are of the inferior liberal and left wing ideology in that he is against every thing that Governor Sarah Palin is for and he is for every thing that Governor Sarah Palin is against. Governor Sarah Palin from 01/20/13 to 01/20/21 will be the best President we will have ever had
Thank You,
John Warren

John Warren of NJ 2:00PM May 30, 2009

Toyota America was all for the deal 'cause they already can meet the standards. The now Government owned US makers didn't have much choice now did they?
The sad fact is you can't "legislate" technology. The cost to replace batteries in a hybrid is more than I spend on BUYING a car. The technology isn't economically feasible yet. Nobody can afford to buy a car now anyway.
As a Conservative, I've always driven high-mileage vehicles because IT MAKES SENSE ! They are available but too many American consumers choose otherwise. I sure see a lot of 8mpg "land-tanks" out there with Obama stickers on the bumper.
Instead of Handicaping the already failed US Auto industry with regulation that will take OUR money and years to achieve results, WE COULD do something immediate like shift to a 4 day workweek. Crunch the oil and "greenhouse" savings there!
Guess THAT makes too much sense.

Chris Petty of GA 10:19AM May 30, 2009

The only reason we are decades late on this, AND, the probable cause of the demise of the American carmakers, is that we got star-struck by a TV/Movie guy named Reagan instead of electing Carter in 1980 and Mondale in 1984 as we should have.
Indeed, elections have consequences, and many of them are not good. Forget not that conservatives (who don't "conserve") gave you Nixon, Reagan and two Bushes. Meanwhile, we drove big fast cars (again) and gave a great deal of America's economic power over to a Muslim "world" that never should have had such power---power we now find ourselves fighting with American blood and treasure.
We needed "liberals" insisting on fuel efficiency term after term after term, but we foolishly did not elect them.

Muser of NM 10:14AM May 30, 2009

Its time to eliminate all gasoline engines completely! If an engineer can improve the milage by 40% why not just make it a requirement to improve it to the point milage is not an issue at all.
Come on guys, if you are going to force the country down this road, then do it all the way...

Tom in San Diego of CA 4:16AM May 30, 2009