New cafe standards -- will 35 MPG kill the auto industry??

[jamie1974]

  Oh man...I don't know about you guys but my blood is just boiling today. I can't believe the new standards Obama wants to pass for the environmental wackos out there for the car industry. 35 Miles per gallon for a car? Well, it's over for the car industry. What most of us here are passionate about. We can all expect to be driving the lame cars they have in Europe. Little Minicooper knock offs. I can't even imagine what cars are going to be like in a few years.

  Nope, people don't want to buy cars like that, so the government needs to step in and build the cars no one will buy of their own free will. If we would just drill for oil in our own land it wouldn't be a problem.

  It's too bad what America is becoming. I had hopes that the Challenger would revive the passion of the 60's. Looks like all my hopes are totally dashed. Cars are now nothing more than 4 wheel transportation units.

[tan top]

yeah thats what the cars all over the world are becoming  ...... 
     we will all be driving cars like in the film demolition man ... with Stallone       computer comtrolled  thingys   

....  remember what he found  !!  a olds 442 with a 4 speed down the sewer  though 

[Troy]

I think it's funny that the cost (per vehicle) to incorporate the changes is about $1600 but the "projected savings" in fuel is $2800. The average consumer will save less over the lifetime of their car than 1/2 year's average tax return. We won't be burning as much fuel (supposedly - just ask Prius drivers who consistently drive above 60 mph) but the money is still going somewhere.

On a related note, I read an article on the new Camaro the other day and it's built on the Zeta platform which GM has already decided to discontinue (no more front engine RWD cars). Seems like an odd decision. The V6 model currently gets 29 mpg and outperforms the Mustang GT and Challenger.

Troy

[Mike DC]

   
Yeah, but you can always rely on the upper ranks of GM to make the worst of any several possible choices they are given.  The pattern repeats constantly. 


As for the MPG and money savings . . .  the numbers would probably look a lot different they were factored for a gas price increase.  Right now the pump prices are uncharacteristically low.

[NHCharger]

He promised change, we're getting it. It's called socialism. The whack jobs in Cali.are loving this.

[Mike DC]

   
I think you guys are pointing to the guy who enacts the gas rationing, and blaming him for the actual shortage itself.

[Foreman72]

He promised change, we're getting it. It's called socialism. The whack jobs in Cali.are loving this.

your exactly right...

[Charger-Bodie]

Stop with the politics guys!! 

[NHCharger]

Stop with the politics guys!! 

But I didn't mention any names

[Foreman72]

Stop with the politics guys!! 

But I didn't mention any names

no your right tho...sorry troy

[Silver R/T]

that's right, save gas for muscle cars.

[NHCharger]

Another part of this puzzle is the emissions testing. From what I read the EPA is taking over the emissions testing. Right now states have their own and all have different standards and cut off years. Be interesting to see the new set of rules for the "clunkers".

[Troy]

Oh, and I forgot to mention the environmentalists are all riled up because the numbers are actually lower than the ones the last President approved. I didn't read far enough to see why we needed a "change" before the previous rules went into effect (California maybe?).

Troy

[squeakfinder]

 We're all a dyeing breed, or dead breed just like are old cars. And as far as politics are concerned, in the last election there was no choice when it comes to president's. I just voted for the lesser of the two evils but he didn't win.

[green69rt]

I have to say that all the previous regulations apply to new car not us "rodders".  Usually, the feds only look at new cars.  Pay attention tothe local regs!!!  These local guys tend to limit the hot roddrs more than the Feds.  Concentrate on your state and local folks!!

[squeakfinder]

 


        Troy, I hope you don't lock up this thread but I can understand if you do because it is leaning toward politics. But with clunker bills and these crazy mpg regulation's we are headed for a European stile of socialism in the U.S.
         It's just like gun control, it will effect us. But it will be in increments.

[Mike DC]

                   
People have a right to think whatever they want about politics. 

But either way, CAFE rules have been coming for years.  It wasn't gonna matter whether Kang or Kodos won the last election when it comes to this issue. 






We could leave this CAFE thing un-raised.  Detroit would keep making money off trucks instead of fixing their problems with the car lines.  Everything would be fine until another gas crunch hits.  Then the bankruptcy/bailout process we've seen over the last year will repeat as domestic truck sales tank.  And the still-inefficient auto fleet will help make the economic crash from this future gas crisis that much worse. 
 

[375instroke]

I haven't and won't buy a new car, so in that aspect, it won't affect me.  Perhaps with higher mileage, less demand will drop prices.  With reduced drilling in this country, we will use up all the Middle East oil while it's still relatively cheap.  Then, when it's all dried up, we can switch to our own.  I haven't read the actual proposed law, but there are different standards for different vehicle types.  Perhaps there will still be cars that use more gas, and they will be averaged out by cars that get better mileage.  If the more inefficient vehicles become more desirable, they will just cost more.

[Ghoste]

The Chinese manufacturing juggernaut is just waking up and I think the auto industry will take a far bigger beating from them than the misguided do-gooders here.  We gave them all the tools they needed, taught them how to use it and set up the importation/marketing chains for them, everything is in place. 

[NHCharger]

That's a good point Ghoste. I know the Chinese cars will be low priced. The president of the Cherry car company that will be importing into the USA was proud to point out that their workers all got a raise to $2.00/day.
With all the problems we seem to be seeing with some goods coming from China (high lead count in baby toys, toxic sheetrock emitting sicking gases) I can't wait to see the quality of their cars.

[Mike DC]

   
I agree about China. 



Americans used to speak in terms of Ford vs GM vs Mopar.  Now we think more in terms of all of Detroit vs Japan. 

But I don't think this shift is done yet.  I think it's a matter of time before Detroit is virtually gone and The Epic Struggle for the American Highways is being fought between Japan and China. 

(And we'll suddenly be rooting for Japan, rooting HARD, when it happens.  Think: American-assembled Jap ricers, compared to a load of no-quality-control pirated-designed Chinese versions coming into Long Beach on container ships?)
 

[PocketThunder]

Time to move where the job is (within a mile or two) and walk to work just like the old days (100 years ago)   

I moved within 9 miles of work.  Probably too far to walk but not to far to ride bike like Bull does..

[Ghoste]

That's what Al Gore wants.  Or so I've been told as I have never actually read any of the great peace ambassadors novels (or are they just novellas?) but that is what is he alleged to have written.
As far as the quality of Chinese cars, it isn't going to matter.  People will buy them because they are cheap.  The first Japanese imports to enter these shores were pretty crappy cars but the Arab oil embargo caught the Big Three off guard and people flocked to their Datsuns and Civics and tiny Toyotas.  With the huge influx of capital the Japanese were able to make a light year advance in marketability and the Chinese will do the same thing.  They have slave labor (virtually, deny it if you want but you wouldn't live the way they do would you?) and a state run and heavily subsidized economy.  It's going to be brutal but people will buy those things like crazy.

[Todd Wilson]

Does this new 35MPG deal cover ALL new cars or just the Big 3? Havent heard a word about what Toyota or Honda thinks about it?  35MPG isnt that far out of reach.  Our 2000 Neon got 33mpg on the highway.   When this all takes place and we start using less gas then the tax $$$ will go down and they will increase the fuel tax on us so the cost of a gallon of gas will be more then it is now.


What I am doing is plannig to pay what ever for gas and trying to make the house as efficient as possible. 


The days of driving in style and comfort are over. The not worrying about what the price of gas is over. We all are gonna be driving putt putt cars for the daily commutes.


Todd

[Ghoste]

Wait until they start hitting us with the carbon taxes.  Every single item we purchase that uses energy to operate or even be manufactured will fall under that governmental cash cow.