New CAFE Regulations: Modest Change for SUVs, Light Trucks

Washington DC August 24, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that Federal regulators proposed new fuel economy standards yesterday that would set separate standards for six categories of trucks, based on size. USA Today reports, the standards will be phased-in from 2008 to 2011.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will take public comments on the proposed standards through November in order to finalize the plan by April so as to meet the 2008 start date.

NHTSA will also take comments on whether the standards should be extended to trucks from 8,500 to 10,000 pounds, such as the Hummer H2. “Our proposal asks automakers for the first time to focus their technology on increasing fuel efficiency across their entire fleets, rather than only in their least economical models,” said NHTSA’s Chief Administrator Jeffrey Runge.

The average fuel economy for all cars made by an automaker must be 27.5 miles per gallon, and that will remain unchanged.