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Muzzling the Guzzle
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The nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund called the fuel efficiency standards a positive step but only one part of the fight against global warming, which it said should include reducing emissions.
"If Americans really expect to do something about the joint problems of global warming and energy security . . . then we need to do a lot more than promulgate higher [fuel efficiency] standards, as important as that has been," said John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive policy at the fund.
An auto industry trade group said yesterday that meeting the timetable will present an enormous challenge, and the Transportation Department estimated it will cost manufacturers $47 billion to comply.
"We acknowledge that we have a responsibility to our customers to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emission from new automobiles," said Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "We're committed to being part of the solution."
Privately, one auto official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the standards, said the industry was surprised by the pace of the increases in fuel efficiency.
He said automakers had planned for more steady increases and begun to develop products for coming years around that assumption.
"It's definitely more aggressive and a quicker climb than we had expected," he said.
The proposed regulations must undergo a 60-day comment period. Transportation officials said they expect to finalize the rules by the end of the year.
Still, some experts said federal fuel efficiency standards will have less impact on the industry than consumer demand.
As the price of gas continues to rise, car buyers are looking for ways to stretch their dollars further. The Toyota Prius hybrid, for example, captured 1.5 percent of the auto market last month, compared with about 0.1 percent in March 2002, according to Edmunds.com. Meanwhile, market share of the Toyota Camry has remained stable: up to 2.3 percent last month, from 2.2 percent in March 2002.
"These changes [in fuel efficiency standards], let's face it, they're very slight. They're going to take a very long time to come in," said Phil Reed, consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com. "The consumers are way ahead. They want fuel efficient vehicles now."
Staff writer Steven Mufson contributed to this report.
