Toyota leading fight against Mexican plan to match US fuel economy standards

Mexican cars have two types of license plates. The FRONT or frontera (meaning border) plates are provided for those residing along the US-Mexican border. They are not as heavily taxed as the state plates, which are required to be "imported" to mexico at high duty rates.

I don't know what the restrictions on either are. The duties are placed there to protect their own auto industry.

 

...acid rain is sent to me though, I am saying yes focus on cleaning up Mexico City air, but forget about CO2/CAFE. Let's focus on reducing SOx smog NOx particulates for both Mexico and fallout to US. Sometimes excess focus on CO2 (eg; for Mexico) takes away from from real issue which is other pollution.

 

Let us put this back on track. The Mexican law is really about fuel efficiency for cars and light trucks. Its about using less oil, which should be good for the Mexican and whole north american economy. IMHO this is a good thing that toyota is blocking because it can make higher profits selling less efficient cars. It also doesn't get special loopholes. I agree with the absence of loopholes, and perhaps toyota should have asked for slightly lower standards without the loopholes during the 60 day comment period instead of suing. Mexico's oil usage is much higher than it was 10 years ago, and many want to reduce it.

I agree on pollution versus CO2 focus, but this is about oil usage. Many in mexico feel the pollution laws on new cars are good enough, and I share that opinion. The big problems with Mexico vehicle fleet are the old polluting vehicles. Many of these have been brought in from the US and we have shipped our unhealthy pollution south. There is nothing wrong with reusing cars, but there should be standards, and those old high polluting inefficient cars causing most of the problems need to get removed from the roads. They should not simply be sent to Mexico. It doesn't need to be this year or next, but it needs to happen.

 

in my way of thinking it's not two-faced - because if you waste lots of electricity or natural gas to distill hydrogen - so that the fuel cell burns "clean" few seem to care how much waste there is - as long as the end product give the appearance of looking clean. Even so this kind of story sure puts a dark cloud over the toys commercial "hum hum hum"

SGH-I717R ? 2

 

I've got to agree with you there, but the fuel cell story is a little different.

Giant new Toyota fuel cell powers buildings rather than cars - latimes.com

Now having a utility add a fast cycling ccgt to the grid would be more efficient than this fuel cell, but given the screwed up nature of the California grid its not going to happen. Toyota is saving money and taking less peak power.

 

So, Mexican fuel economy is calculated at a lab on top of a mountain or something? I don't understand the altitude reference.

 

Its false information from a PAC. Cars in Mexico were more efficient than in the US in 2010, which means it should be easier to meet the 2016 standards. The mexican regulations do get rid of some US loopholes, and perhaps should be adjusted for that, but high altitudes just mean turbos and hybrids are better ways to meet the efficiency targets.

 

California’s seasonal gasoline blends, among the cleanest-burning in the world, are more costly to produce. And Mexican gas goes farther in other ways: California gasoline contains about 10 percent ethanol, lowering its energy content by 3 percent.

AT $2.91 PER GALLON, GASOLINE IS QUITE THE BARGAIN IN MEXICO | UTSanDiego.com

 

They make tacomas in mexico, and they may make other models, but most toyota vehicles sold in Mexico are made in the US, Canada, or Argentina. These should all be free trade partners.

I'm sure toyota is fighting for a relative advantage. The mix of hybrids sold in the US is from Japan, and these help toyota's CAFE performance.

 

I'm guessing the yen to peso exchange rates are worse than yen to dollar.