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Lutz says 35-mpg CAFE will scuttle GM product plans

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by cwerdna, Dec 8, 2007.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_fe_st/odd33_cent_gas

    '“A 35-mpg fleet mix means there is a bunch of stuff out there that is going to have to be 40 and 50 mpg.”
    ...
    “We will have to take a look at everything because we’re going to have to come up with a plan which gets us to 2015, 2017, gets us part of the way there, and with clarity on how we’re going to get the rest,” said Lutz, interviewed Dec. 5 at a Saturn event in San Diego. “Then we will have to start raising prices as we introduce the new technology.”

    He estimated a $6,000 to $7,000 increase in the price of vehicles requiring new technology'

    FWIW, from looking at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/epadata/07data.zip, the Prius already counts as a ~65 mpg car for CAFE purposes (since they use old procedure unadjusted EPA dyno numbers.)
     
  2. cyberbro

    cyberbro Junior Member

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    Don't hold back, tell us what you think.

    Don't hold back, tell us what you think.




     
  3. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi All,

    Yep, you can consider that "6000 to 7000" more of the SUV tax, just like rising beef and milk prices. In order to sell the 15 mpg SUV, they will need to sell technology cars to make up for it, which are not quite economically ready.

    Why not just sell less 15 mpg SUV's, or SUV's at all ?
     
  4. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    well first of all, i see yahoo moderators are pretty lax...to each his own.


    as far as lutz whining about increased CAFE... well, i guess he has to start working on that sooner or later and his statements definitely imply that it will be later...

    if he has not seen this coming, i guess i would think twice about investing in gm stock... then again... never could bring myself to think about it once so i guess im good
     
  5. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    I know you're just being silly now, because we all know GM simply wants to make the easy $$$ (as do most all auto manufacturers) and the easy $$$ is in big ol land boats.

    Lutz ..."Boo hoo, we can't do high mpg without hurting the poor consumer with higher prices". De ja vu, padded dashes, air bags, safty glass windshields, smog equipment, seat belts, crumple zones, etc.
     
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Put it this way, they don't want to spend if they don't have to.


    I mean, even the Aveo gets the same mileage as a Corolla and it has smaller engine and a lighter body. For whatever the reason, they don't seem to have the technology know-how to make a fuel efficient engine. It's sad that the Aveo's bigger brother, the Aerio (now replaced by the SX-4) gets the same mileage. So much for buying a small fuel efficient car.
     
  7. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    This seems to imply that the Volt has either come & gone or they are still waiting for batteries in 2017. My advice to Lutz is to stop whining and invest what money is left in research instead of advertizing.
     
  8. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    The Hybrid Malibu only gets 2 mpg better than the conventional Malibu. (Check for yourselves!)

    With engineering like this, the CAFE standards are unachievable for GM.