[Number 3]

Originally Posted by trademaster

CAFE standards were not created to reduce pollution. Remember that when debating this stuff folks.

Weight reduction is a great way to increase performance and efficiency if they do it right. Removing weight in the right places can lower the center of gravity and removing weight in general will help in nearly all aspects of performance. I doubt they'll be able to cut fleet weights by 15% by then, but it's not like it is the end of the world if they don't quite meet the stated goal.

Also keep in mind FE = emissions and emissions = FE. In Europe the equivalent to CAFE is CO2. At the tailpipe they are exactly the same thing.

Originally Posted by fielderLS3

I may not have to use it (and never will, as I'm capable of driving all by my self), but I'll still have to pay for it. How does that make sense?



I know how light those mirrors are. I picked one up just last summer after it fell off.



You've hit on a defining characteristic of the regulatory state. And in the case of our specific one, what we get is generally more in line with what we deserve.



Those numbers sound more like total oil consumption, not imports. I'd have to do more research on exact numbers, but I think that around the late 70s, roughly 30% or so of the total use was from imports. 30 years later, it was more like 70% of the total was imports.

Today, the percent of use that is imported is rapidly going down, largely due to shale production, with a significant and growing percentage of the imports coming from Tar Sands from our friendly neighbor to the north. (Which is the reason WTI oil is around $20 a barrel cheaper than Brent). And the government and EPA are fighting both of these new sources of oil as hard as they can....which would suggest that despite claims that reducing imports is the purpose of CAFE, the actual motives are different.

Interesting addition to the point about CAFE driving the SUV craze. I've always held that opinion as well....And it makes you to wonder what affect it would have had on fuel consumption of people had still been able to find full size sedans that got low to mid 20s on the highway instead of SUVs that got upper teens at best.



It really got rolling with Ralph Nader's crusade against GM, which just happened to coincide with his quiet buying up of Ford stock. I'm sure the two were unrelated, though.



No, I want more. Keep it coming, Captain!!!

You said Shale Oil. Who is actually making Shale Oil into Oil in any reasonable amount? Even Tar Sands cost more money to make oil. Shale is even more expensive than that.

Originally Posted by King Nothing

which trucking fleets?? I work for one and have heard no such thing, I hope they'd tell me since I repair the tractors lol

It's in it's early stages but many of the Class 8 truck manufacturers are selling CNG fueled trucks.

Originally Posted by 90503

I re-read the first post...what is this "body-in-white" thing?...lol

BIW is essentially all of the metal in the body with no hardware at all. No chassis, no powertrain, no trim

Originally Posted by motorhead

15% in three years. That's awesome! Can't wait. If they also raise the power level by 25% at the same time that will be even better.

Are we never satisfied?

Originally Posted by motorhead

I'm not most people. So what you're saying is that no one that currently owns a 5th gen should complain about the weight because they can't do anything about it anyhow that wouldn't otherwise turn it into a full blown race car?

So then, why are there so many on this very forum and others that do? My guess would be in the hopes that GM would produce a lighter version of the car that they love so much. Thus a reason for all the weight whiners to rejoice.

You said, "why are so many on this forum". In all the threads of everyone listing the stuff they were going to take off their cars to make it lighter I can't recall one person actually doing it. No before and after threads of who actually took weight off their Camaro.