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I don't know if they still do it but they made "49 state" cars in the past... California may end up with less choices.
Companies selling work trucks for example can't do that forever. My dad had a Dodge diesel, I think it was a 2008 or so, and it said not for sale or use in California on it. But they updated their emissions systems within a year or 2 to meet the new California requirements. California just has such a large economy, it's hard to ignore.
It's good to have fuel economy and emission requirements, but the government is probably pushing a little too hard on some of their newest requirements, give the companies time to catch up and push the new requirements out 5-10 years.
Most people want a clean and safe environment, let's just not destroy ourselves in the process and put us back 50 years and do even worse damage to the environment. The EPA gets a lot of hate, but for the most part they are and have been a positive effect on the US.
Trump has announced plans to role back stricter regulations set in 2011 by the Obama administration which would have required auto makers to achieve an average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. Several automakers have had major problems with more fuel efficient CVT transmissions and some now produce cars with no spare tire to reduce weight. I support some increase in fuel efficiency but I do think Obama overreached and the result for someone with a new Ford Focus that is unfixable CVT it is effectively a tax on the poor. You can't haul a trailer loaded with cattle behind a Prius.
Do you think changes to cars will be significant as a result of this election?
It won't be noticeable immediately. Car companies are on 24-month or 36-month cycles and their current and future plans are locked in for a while.
If CAFE rules are relaxed, though, it means they won't have to sell a certain percentage of unrealistically green vehicles to offset the practical, conventional vehicles that most people actually buy. That means they can focus on building better cars overall instead of pouring resources into specialty niche electric/hybrid vehicles that have limited markets.
However, California still has their own CAFE rules and they're forcing car makers to sell a certain percentage of non-polluting vehicles. Not sure how the federal changes will affect that, if at all.
If the Republicans hold on to the Senate in 2018, which is likely, and if Trump is generally successful for the next 2-3 years, successful enough to be reelected, then yes, it's going to result in cheaper cars.
But... at the same time... Trump also wants to change the trade agreements, which might mean higher prices. For example, Ford is keeping its Lincoln plant in Nebraska rather than move it to Mexico, apparently because of Trump's threats. Result: higher cost basis for Lincolns = higher prices. There's no getting around that.
Now Trump is pro-energy, so he may be able to roll back some of the rules and regs keeping oil/gas companies from fracking, from exporting, and from building pipelines. Eventually, this should result in two things: lower energy prices for Americans, and better balance of trade. That will probably mean generally lower cost of living, higher wages, more money for infrastructure projects, etc. But we may undergo a recession before the good stuff comes.
The cost of gas has a bigger impact on what people buy. As gas prices rose from 2004-2008 trucks suffered. The Obama administration idea of what the average mph should be is ridiculous, and they basically wanted us to be like Europe. Let the free market decide what people want to buy. I'm no Trump fan, but this would be way better than the unrealistic goals of the Obama administration.
The whole 'fleet' rule is what's irritating to me.
Convertibles have been cut back significantly because they account for small sale numbers, but even offering one has to weight it against an entire army of corolla-like-cars.
Better MPG is noble and should be pushed- but small run cars should not have such a huge impact on the fleet line.
Also, Toyota should not be able to call the 5 priuses all different lines to circumvent the system.
You guys are only covering half of the BS that morons r us threw down on the auto industry. Gas mileage is only half of the new requirements. You haven't even considered the carbon footprint requirements yet and that's the tough one. Europe only uses carbon footprint. We use emissions, carbon footprint, and fuel mileage. Getting any car to move with currently available technology isn't going to happen with the crazy crap dictated by DC. Our cars are the cleanest in the world now and get decent gas mileage. Even my 4 door 6000lb truck gets over 20mpgs in town driving and it packs 300 HP. The new requirements are why you've seen Ford to the V6 Eco engines and not try to fool with the V8s like GM and others. The NEW 3.5 EB engine is a hybrid of sorts in that it carries 2 individual injection systems. One is sequential for normal driving and the other direct injection when power is needed. Others are headed in this same direction with new engine designs. It also solves the deposits that are clogging up the intakes on the direct injection only engines. There are engine designs out there that are zero emissions and get far better gas mileage but you can't have one. The reason is clear, you can make your own fuel at home from your garbage. The morons in DC have no way to tax you for it. Research the Dr Paul engine for a "slap in the face dose of reality" about DC wanting to clean our air and are concerned about the environment. It's all about the money.
And in the FWIW dept, there is no oil shortage and won't be for the next 3000 years and that includes if there is no more oil genesis. There is enough fine grade oil under the Gulf of Mexico to last that long and enough natural gas to last just as long. The reservoir is under 8000PSI right now and growing. If we don't take some it, it will relieve the pressure itself. It's already starting to vent gas and oil into the water. If you thought the Deep Water Horizon rig explosion was an environmental disaster, you ain't seen nothing when Mother Nature turns loose. Most everything in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic will be dead. But the morons in DC just don't believe it or are too stupid to act on it.
Trump has announced plans to role back stricter regulations set in 2011 by the Obama administration which would have required auto makers to achieve an average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. Several automakers have had major problems with more fuel efficient CVT transmissions and some now produce cars with no spare tire to reduce weight. I support some increase in fuel efficiency but I do think Obama overreached and the result for someone with a new Ford Focus that is unfixable CVT it is effectively a tax on the poor. You can't haul a trailer loaded with cattle behind a Prius.
Do you think changes to cars will be significant as a result of this election?
Wrong decision, technology and efficiency free up investments for more productivity in the overall economy. Trump has no clue.
Market proponent so I agree with Trump on it. If you want to increase average fuel economy, raise gas taxes. Say 5 cents a year, every year, for the next ten years. Fuel efficiency wouldn't even be priority. Funding the deplorable state of roads with all that money would be.
To get a fleet average that high probably means that Americans will be driving much smaller/smaller engine vehicles, cars you very rarely see on the road in the US, today. Many of these types of cars are already near the 54 MPG rating without hybrid power. Google on "VW UP" for one such example. I have a fairly good sized car with a 1.3L turbo charged 3 cyl conventional gasoline engine that can make 49 miles/US gallon in highway driving.
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