By Sam HaymartPublished: May 21, 2009Posted in: IndustryTags: CAFE, diesel cars, fuel economy, hybrid, Obama
The sweeping new fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards announced by the Obama administration this week will have innumerable effects on our automotive landscape as we know it. The new policy will raise the new corporate average fuel economy for cars and light trucks sold in America to 35.5 mpg.
Broken out, cars must meet a 39 mpg fleet average and trucks meeting about 27 mpg. In addition to the new higher targets over the 2007 law which required 35 mpg for cars, this new policy moves the requirement up to 2016 instead of 2020. While carmakers agreed to the new policy, most did so reluctantly.
The new policy will force carmakers both foreign and domestic to completely redesign their model lines to be up to 40% more efficient than they are today. Whether you agree or disagree with the new policy and the idealistic underpinnings of it, there is bright news in the scheme for those who want more diesel powered cars and trucks.
Automakers will be forced to look at a variety of alternate propulsion systems to meet the new rules. Hybrids will play a large role in addition to scaling down and lightening up cars across the board. Diesel technology long proven will also be more attractive to automakers as it provides off the shelf solutions that are faster to market and less expensive to engineer in the short term.
It is felt by many experts now with the new rules, automakers who had not put diesels high on their priority list may finally see them as viable products in our marketplace. They may see them as attractive ways to meet the new standards. Ford for instance may be more likely to bring to America some of their high efficiency and clean diesels that are favorites in Europe. Chrysler who is planning to grow anew with Fiat may also see fit to tap some of the technology from across the pond for American offerings. Chryslers and Jeeps with diesels have been rolling off the lines for over a decade but most are exclusively for foreign markets.
The keys to a growth of diesel cars here in America will be getting them to be clean enough and affordable enough. If the diesel option pencils after the optional cost, the cost of fuel, the extra mpg and still comes out ahead it will win in the market every time it is offered.
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