So now Obama dictates mileage with the auto industry?

[No Free Beer]

http://news.yahoo.com/president-announces-deal-boost-fuel-economy-160848473.html

[smartguy911]

here i am working hard, so someday in future I can buy a Mercedes AMG with 500+ HP and they are aiming for 54.5 mpg? Will this be required for all car makers?

[Dr.3D]

The more they attempt to boost fuel economy, the lighter and more fragile the vehicle will be. They could make some very efficient vehicles if they constructed them with canvas covered metal frames like aircraft manufacturers do. The problem is, if fuel economy is mandated, that is the same as mandating less crash resistance. Of course the state isn't going to allow that, so it places the auto manufacturer over a barrel. How can they decrease the weight and air resistance of the vehicle without sacrificing strength?

[truthdivides]

How can they decrease the weight and air resistance of the vehicle without sacrificing strength?

http://content8.flixster.com/question/66/54/33/6654338_std.jpg

Mithril, that's how.

[jkr]

ORGANIC

DOMESTIC

HEMP FIBER

CARBON CoMPOSITS!



it also sequesters co2 4 eva...

[smartguy911]

I think the future is carbon fiber (expensive now) for lightness, technology like start/stop at red light, smart engines that are capable of switching between v6 and v8.

[acptulsa]

Been happening for over thirty years now.

This is why we saw the rise of the topheavy, inefficient, dangerous SUV. If you can't have a roomy car, but you can have a roomy trucklet, you buy a roomy trucklet--even if it lands on its roof in the end and kills you.

[Johncjackson]

Been happening for over thirty years now.

This is why we saw the rise of the topheavy, inefficient, dangerous SUV. If you can't have a roomy car, but you can have a roomy trucklet, you buy a roomy trucklet--even if it lands on its roof in the end and kills you.

This.

[Johncjackson]

Can't say i'm surprised. After Obama started the income tax, IRS, Iraq War, Food Stamps, Welfare programs for rich seniors, welfare for rich weapons manufacturers, SWAT raids on medical marijuana users, and laws against kids having lemonade stands, I wouldn't put anything past him.

[acptulsa]

Can't say i'm surprised. After Obama started the income tax, IRS, Iraq War, Food Stamps, Welfare programs for rich seniors, welfare for rich weapons manufacturers, SWAT raids on medical marijuana users, and laws against kids having lemonade stands, I wouldn't put anything past him.

LULZ. Funny, he doesn't look 130 years old. :)

The man is truly timeless...

[tfurrh]

http://content8.flixster.com/question/66/54/33/6654338_std.jpg

Mithril, that's how.

you little tea party hobbit!

[Icymudpuppy]

I just bought a used Lincoln Town Car. 22.5 Mpg. V8. It's soooooo comfy!

[KCIndy]

I just bought a used Lincoln Town Car. 22.5 Mpg. V8. It's soooooo comfy!


My wife has one of those and she loves it. Town cars are the best ride on the highway.

For some reason, they devalue quickly, which makes buying a used one a real steal if you plan to keep it for awhile. Best of all, since the new ones are usually bought by - um, how can I put this - okay, bought by old folks, I've never had to worry about getting a used town car that's had the guts run out of it by some young kid high on testosterone.

Town cars are arguably the most well kept and pampered used cars on the market!! :D


'course, my little Jetta TDI gets twice the fuel economy hands down. But the ride ain't as comfy.

[dean.engelhardt]

25 years ago the best MPG car you could buy was a 50 MPG car from Honda. Today the best MPG car you can buy is a 50 MPG Toyota. Why hasn't fuel efficiency improved in 25 years? CAFE standards and government manipulation of petroleum prices.

The best why to get better MPG cars in the market is to remove government involvement.

[acptulsa]

25 years ago the best MPG car you could buy was a 50 MPG car from Honda. Today the best MPG car you can buy is a 50 MPG Toyota. Why hasn't fuel efficiency improved in 25 years? CAFE standards and government manipulation of petroleum prices.

The best why to get better MPG cars in the market is to remove government involvement.

Oh, you haven't begun to describe the problem. Steel safety cages. Enough airbags to turn the interior into the proverbial padded room for insane people when you hit a speed bump--and kill all the children. EPA regulations, which were designed from the start to kill fuel economy (it's those horrible oxides of nitrogen, apparently, that will kill you). This crap ain't exactly light weight.

Of course, in the hands of a skilled driver a car with less momentum (i.e. lighter) can change directions more quickly, and is therefore safer. But that isn't idiotproof safety. That's just safety. So it doesn't count. Not that older cars with 'crumple zones' instead of airbags were any less safe than these crates we have today. The eight passenger 1963 Plymouth Belvedere wagon weighed less than most modern minivans--under two tons. No airbags, no mandated safety cage--just a four and a half foot hood of steel crumple zone between you and the accident. Not legal today.

So the way to get better MPG and to get more safety is to remove government involvement.