Feds set fuel economy rules to an average 34.1 mpg by 2016 | detnews.com | The Detroit News
No political talk on this one but here is my opinion.
Currently there are about 10 cars available that meet this requirement and none of them interest me. I don't feel like there a going to be any huge advancements in technology over the next 5 years. Think about how little we've come in the last 10 years when it comes to fuel mileage.
I feel like right now we are seeing some of the greatest cars ever being produced. Most vehicles today are fast, quiet, reliable, and safe. I think we're going to continue to have quiet, reliable, and safe cars but I can't imagine that the automakers are going to be able to keep the same amount of power and still average 35mpg.
The last time we saw this type of thing happen we saw the Corvette in 1975 have less than 200hp and a 0-60 time of 7.7 seconds. Your grandma's Ford Fusion is probably faster. A 1976 Camaro with the V8 option had 165 horsepower.
I don't know what the car makers are going to have to do to reach these numbers but I doubt in 2016 you'll see basic family cars having 200+ horsepower and sports cars with more than 300. This article makes it sound like this may actually start happening in the next couple of years.
So with all these things in mind:
Think about your current car. Would you be fine with the power being cut in half, paying $1,000 more for it, but get 35mpg? BTW, that 10mpg jump will save you about $700/year in fuel savings for the average driver.
I don't want to get into the political debate whether this is right or wrong. I just want to know if people will be ok with this change? Or am I completely wrong on what is going to happen?
No political talk on this one but here is my opinion.
Currently there are about 10 cars available that meet this requirement and none of them interest me. I don't feel like there a going to be any huge advancements in technology over the next 5 years. Think about how little we've come in the last 10 years when it comes to fuel mileage.
I feel like right now we are seeing some of the greatest cars ever being produced. Most vehicles today are fast, quiet, reliable, and safe. I think we're going to continue to have quiet, reliable, and safe cars but I can't imagine that the automakers are going to be able to keep the same amount of power and still average 35mpg.
The last time we saw this type of thing happen we saw the Corvette in 1975 have less than 200hp and a 0-60 time of 7.7 seconds. Your grandma's Ford Fusion is probably faster. A 1976 Camaro with the V8 option had 165 horsepower.
I don't know what the car makers are going to have to do to reach these numbers but I doubt in 2016 you'll see basic family cars having 200+ horsepower and sports cars with more than 300. This article makes it sound like this may actually start happening in the next couple of years.
So with all these things in mind:
Think about your current car. Would you be fine with the power being cut in half, paying $1,000 more for it, but get 35mpg? BTW, that 10mpg jump will save you about $700/year in fuel savings for the average driver.
I don't want to get into the political debate whether this is right or wrong. I just want to know if people will be ok with this change? Or am I completely wrong on what is going to happen?