NEW GAS RULE

[BobFromPA]

BALTIMORE - The Bush administration issued new rules Wednesday ratcheting up gas mileage requirements for pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans, for the first time covering the largest SUVs on the road like the Hummer H2 and Chevrolet Suburban.

The new fuel economy rules, covering 2008 through 2011, would save 10.7 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles sold during the period and go further than an administration proposal issued last summer, officials said

Under the CAFE system, automakers now must meet an average of 21.6 mpg for their 2006 model year light trucks. That average will rise to 22.2 mpg for 2007 vehicles.

Under the new rules, the fleetwide average would reach 24 mpg by 2011, when the largest SUVs will be included in the calculation.

The rule would include SUVs weighing 8,500 to 10,000 pounds for the first time starting in 2011, but would not include large pickup trucks in the weight class. DOT officials said they would require manufacturers to install fuel saving technology on all passenger trucks.

[aggiehummer...er]

I don't think it will be that big of a deal. The H2 will be averaged in with the Silverado Hybrid and stuff like that, so all of that stuff should even out.

[Chip]

The H-3 is not that far away from 24 mpg. This is just politics. I just hope they come out with a diesel and I'll bet we see more of that with mid size SUV's as time goes on. What's going to control the popularity of SUV's in the long run is the price of gas, which is not going to go down. The H-3 is going to be popular because for what it is, it gets great mileage. I pulled along a Range Rover Sport the other day and they appear be smaller. They get what 12 mpg and have to use premium? Those are the SUV's that are doomed in the future.

[DarthKarl]

CAFE brings the suck. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

It's just another underhanded way to dictate people's driving preferences through legislation instead of the marketplace.

[deicustoms1]

I hope we can still get our non-raised mpg vehicles from mexico.

[FJD]

Originally posted by Chip:
The H-3 is not that far away from 24 mpg.

I'm (and a lot of others on here) getting at BEST, 15 mpg. A 60% increase is rather far away to me.....

Just my $.02......... http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Chip]

Your right, that's what mine gets in town. But at 80 without stopping mine gets around 20, if the wind isn't blowing.

[nmikes]

Yeah, I don't get it... I can get well over 400 miles on a tank if I pushed it.

[humdoug]

I would just be happier if Bush would work on getting the gas prives lower!!!!! Much lower!!!! http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

[Steve - SanJose]

With gas prices headed higher, the CAFE requirements become less important. Watch the reactions and vehicle buying behavior when gas goes over $3.00

S.

[GLBLWARMR]

Bought my H2 when gas was 3.50 per gallon. To many it doesn't make a diff. To others it does.

[kennyosemite]

Y'all may have seen something similar to this before, but if you haven't, interesting reading:

Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash (http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/)

[Steve - SanJose]

Originally posted by GLBLWARMR:
Bought my H2 when gas was 3.50 per gallon. To many it doesn't make a diff. To others it does.

H2 sales are way down, H3 sales strong. Gas prices are making a difference on Hummer sales. Less impact in Silicon Valley because of high income levels though.

S.

[HUMTECH]

As I remember CAFE requirements for fuel milage are based on the entire product lines average fuel economy. So if they build and sell say 25 hummers, they are required to build and sell 100 sunfires to average out the fuel economy on the product line, as CAFE stands for "corporate average fuel economy" not based on A specific vehicle model. I could be wrong but that is how I remember it works.

[Lucifer]

Just install a Tornado on everything. I hear it increases fuel economy like a gagilion percent. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif