Politics Forcing Detroit to Back New Fuel Rules

[RedEarth]

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON, June 19 — For a quarter-century, American automakers and their allies argued that any legislation to increase fuel economy standards would rob them of profits, force them to lay off workers and deprive consumers of the vehicles they wanted to buy.

Even as recently as last weekend, a lobbying group financed by auto companies was still running radio ads in 11 states, raising the prospect that soccer moms might lose the opportunity to buy big sport utility vehicles if they did not urge Congress to reject legislation calling for higher mileage. “Why can’t they let me make the choice?” one of the ads said. “I’m all for better fuel economy, but for me safety is my top concern.”

But this week, with a vote possible in the Senate on an energy plan, Detroit blinked, and the car companies retreated from their longstanding argument. They are now lobbying for a modest increase in mileage standards, a position already adopted by Toyota, in the hopes of silencing calls for even tougher targets.

Auto executives say they changed strategy partly because longtime backers in Washington, who helped them defeat previous pushes to raise fuel economy standards, made it clear that the political climate had changed. If they did not back a proposal they could live with, lawmakers told the automakers, they might face even more stringent regulations.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/automobiles/20auto.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Roland99]

1. Resisting instead of reacting. Complaining instead of innovating.

*sigh*

[Javaman]

2. And there in a nut shell is why american car companies are losing. nt

[redqueen]

3. 25 years of playing by their rules...

didn't have to be that way. how much different might the climate issue be, if not for the elimination of cafe standards and the failure to do ANYTHING to get off the oil? how much different would the situation in the mideast be?

*sigh*

[4dsc]

4. Its already too late

As we enter the era of peak oil, it doesn't really matter how much they raise the standards because it would take decades for the true effects to go through the economy.. We don't have decades and with peak oil upon us all efforts are moot!!

[NashVegas]

5. Remember the SUV Caravans to DC?

When the Clinton administration wanted to push for tougher fuel standards, Ford had their workers, with the UAW's blessing IIRC, drive to Washington in their SUVs and trucks to protest.

It just highlights the stupidity of Detroit.