New US Emissions Standards Won' t Stop Automakers From Increasing Fuel Economy CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News New US Emissions Standards Won' t Stop Automakers From Increasing Fuel Economy

New US Emissions Standards Won' t Stop Automakers From Increasing Fuel Economy

Aug. 06, 2018 4:05 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Industry News / Comments The Trump rollbacks may not even matter. In a bit bid to help automakers reach fuel economy targets, the Trump administration has announced a rollback of Obama era fuel economy standards that would lock in fleet fuel economy targets until 2026. Instead of having to reach fleet fuel economy of 50 miles-per-gallon by 2026, these standards only require them to reach an average of 35 mpg. The goal here is to save automakers money by not having to develop expensive technologies to help reach what has been referred to as "unrealistic" standards. Unfortunately, the rollbacks may offer no real benefit to automakers. In the eyes of the Trump administration, these rollbacks are a way out for automakers that couldn't possibly reach unrealistic fuel economy figures. In reality, automakers have already devoted millions of R&D dollars towards more efficient technologies and Automotive News reports that the EPA rollbacks won't have a major effect on overall fleet averages. Mazda, for example, is already well into the development phase of its revolutionary sparkless gas engine that will be cleaner than electric cars. In other words, it's simply too late for automakers to just give up on these technologies and consumers still crave vehicles with increased fuel efficiency. Mazda "Manufacturers aren't saying 'We're going to stop all our r&d.' That's a fallacy," said Rebecca Lindland, the executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "Twenty percent of Generation Z says it is interested in an environmentally friendly vehicle. Demand is coming, so that's why manufacturers will continue to develop these types of vehicles." Just because the Trump administration has rolled back the standards doesn't mean that automakers won't exceed them anyway. NHTSA Acting Administrator Heidi King told Automotive News "What we are proposing is a floor at 2020 levels holding out to 2026. And, frankly, it's the floor for an average so, there's room for manufacturers to produce what consumers want." These rollbacks have clearly caused some initial panic, but it seems like they will have less of an impact than what was initially expected. Volkswagen Suzuki

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Mazda 3 Hatchback Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top