Take a longing look at your neighbor’s Land Rover or Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Within a decade, they could be goners from the US market because of a proposed 56 mpg fuel economy rule that benefits the largest automakers at the expense of boutique brands with the biggest and fastest cars. The US Environmental Protection Agency proposes that the tougher corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, rise from 27 mpg to 56 mpg by 2025. Models that don’t meet the standard would face fines of up to $25,000 per offending vehicle. The way CAFE works now, an automaker blends the mileage of all cars sold. Lexus lives under the umbrella of Toyota, Audi under Volkswagen, so they’re better off than Land Rover, which is part of India’s Tata, a company with no US sales.
There’s no question the heat is on automakers to improve fuel economy and that improvements are being made. That’s why Ford is expanding the use of its EcoBoost engines from small cars to midsize and now full-size cars. The smallest cars will get three not four cylinders with a turbocharger; the biggest including pickup trucks get six cylinders with a turbo instead of a V8. BMW just announced it will offer a four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger as the entry engine in its 5 Series (photo below); on the highway, it should get around 37 mpg. Better, but still a long way from 56 mpg.
Read the entire article at: ExtremeTech
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