Originally Posted by
DakarM
apples to oranges ToD and you know it. only a few modern car is going to be able to get down to sub 2000lb category when they have to meet all the safety requirements. even then, the price is high due to the amount of "exotic" material used.
Like hell it is. Where I used the 92 Civic CX as an example, substitute the new Civic LX or the Ford Focus PZEV... or the Nissan Versa.
The whole point of this bill is to force manufacturers to find a way to bring weight down while complying with current side impact requirements.
The feds gave the auto industry 10 years or more to come up with fuel economy improvements on their own. Honda and Toyota took the lead, but the domestics never budged.
Rather than take the initative, the domestic brands just kept on marketing their massive SUVs. Now we are at the point where people are driving trucks with an 2000 to 8000 lb towing capacity as daily drivers.
Most of these trucks weigh between 3800 and 5800 pounds. That weight increase plays an major role in real-world fuel economy and in the CAFE standards.
This bill forces the Big Three to move on from their cash-cow SUVs and start engineering for the energy market of the 21st century.
As I said before, I don't like it when the government dictates to the market. But the situation is truly out of control and the SUV marketing blitz needs to end.