Pew Poll Finds Strong Public Support for 56 MPG Fuel Economy Standard

I'm sure there is a "light truck" loophole to keep the SUV business humming along as usual. Typical Washington bull........

 

I'm all for raising fuel economy. My beef has always been that I don't like the idea of the government forcing it. i think these numbers though are inflated due to the price of gas. if gas were $2 a gallon, i think you'd have a lot less than 82% supporting it. I hope the auto industry can make it happen for the cars that we want.

 

It didn't appear that the poll included the phrase "and be willing to pay an extra three to four thousand dollars". I suspect the number would be much lower. Perhaps in that time frame it advancement will be made such that squeezing that efficiency won't cost much more but I doubt it.

 

Cars today are loaded with mandatory stuff that boosts the base price. If every car available had an extra $2K hybrid drive, it would become the norm. Electric starters and power windshield sprayers, window defrosters, and on and on, used to cost extra $$$ and now they're mandatory built into the base price of all cars. You used to have to pay extra $$$$ for an automatic transmission. Today in 2011, practically every car on the road has an auto trans.

 

You still pay for the auto, our Fiesta automatic was 1k more.

 

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the average price of a new car sold in the United States is $28,400.

Prius MSRP from $22,120. CAFE MPG: 71.4 (calculated, coudn't find actual)

So if today 78% of all vehicles were Prii, we would would already pass this, and it wouldn't matter what the other vehicles were. At the same time, the average car buyer could save $6280 on the purchase price.

[Yes, I know the math is not getting us least amount of fuel usage, don't blame me]

 

but not everyone wants a prius and should not be forced to buy one by the government. i'm sorry, but i'm nostalgic and i don't want to see classic nameplates disappear.

 

Actual amounts can be find in the comb unadj column at Download Fuel Economy Data.

 

I know I must be doing something wrong or looking in the wrong place but I cannot find Toyota vehicles (other than scion and lexus) in the 2012 Fuel economy data.

 

thats because new 2012 Toyota models are just coming out

 

Those appear to be EPA numbers not CAFE numbers. What am I missing?

 

Yeah well the free market idea isn't cutting it because people don't understand why they should drive a fuel efficient vehicle. It's the all about me and my rights mentality.

 

When you look at responsible polls, it seems the American people are not on the same wavelength with what gets hyped in the media news every day, and what is going on in Washington.

If the politicians don't raise the debt ceiling in the next day or 2, and the stock market crashes, etc. there will be hell to pay. The great Silent Majority out there quietly stomaching the so-called Tea party and all that Koch-sponsored media hype against government, taxes and global warming, will suddenly throw it all up in the faces of the politicians. The Majority are the ones who will be hurt.

 

And the majority will continue to vote for candidates based on image instead of thoroughly researching their histories and considering their stance on the issues. The majority spends more time watching american idol and playing video games than taking a few hours to google and read and read and read about the political candidates before they vote ... and then they wonder why the country is headed in the direction it is.

back on topic...

 

Consider Ford and Hyundai's recent strategies: take a small fuel efficient car, give it really appealing styling, load it up with electronics and options, and consumers will buy it. And, it's working. The car doesn't have to have a muscle car V8. In fact, I think a lot of younger buyers (the people buying Fiestas, Elantras, Civics, Yaris...) want mpg and efficiency more than a desire for a muscle car V8. When was the last time you saw a brand new Mustang V8 on the road? When was the last time you saw a brand new Fiesta on the road?

 

Did you look at the unadj columns?

 

And if gas were priced as it would be in a completely free market, around $15 per gallon, people would be complaining that government was completely outside of reality with those ridiculously low numbers.

 

i will agree that people don't understand why they should drive a fuel effcient vehicle. But my point is that it's not the government's job to force it on people. Education is the answer. I run into people all the time that have no idea how a hybrid works. A lot of people driving Prii today had to take a leap of faith to buy it. I think what auto companies need to do is to sell it as a hybrid in the marketing and show people how it works. Most ads I see explain nothing. They go like this: "or get the Ford Fusion Hybrid with 42 mpg for $299/month!" Yeah, that really explains a lot.