Spied: 2007 Toyota Tundra Breaks Cover
...But can it last forever?
New Cafe Standards Might End The Party
The Bush administration wants to split truck fuel economy into six categories to improve efficiency, "while improving safety and protecting the economy," transportation secretary Norman Y. Mineta says. Mineta announced the proposal in Los Angeles and Atlanta, claiming that it's "expected to save 10 billion gallons of gasoline in the years to come."
Currently, the EPA splits Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards between cars and trucks. If an automaker is in danger of paying fines because the average of all the trucks it sells in a year is below 20.7 mpg, it can offset this by selling higher-mileage four-cylinder pickups or minivans.
But the new standard, which derives the six categories based on the size of each vehicles' "footprint" (wheelbase times average track width), wouldn't allow that: Full-size SUVs and pickups would have to meet their own standards. The new regulations will hit them hard, with target minimum consumption for 2008 set at 20.7 mpg, rising to 21.9 mpg by 2011. Most current full-size SUVs and pickups return well under 20 mpg on the EPA city cycle and struggle to get close to 20 mpg on the highway cycle.