President Obama isn’t happy with the pathetic fuel efficiency American automobiles currently receive and will receive in the future compared to their international counterparts and he’s now asking that fuel efficiency standards be pushed up dramatically to 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025, roughly double current automobile standards in the U.S.
If those numbers are achieved the country will finally be on track to keep up with Europe, Japan and China, however lobbyists for the automotive industry are skeptical of the move as it will require smaller, lighter and more expensive options in their options, something American consumers with their gas hungry need for SUV’s and other larger vehicles may not be willing to accept.
One Lobbyist tells the New York Times :
“We can build these vehicles…The question is, will consumers buy them?”
It should be noted that the 56.2mpg standard is simply an opening offer by the Obama administration and they may be willing to loosen their request if automobile manufacturers agree to help create more battery charging stations and if the government can come up with better credit offers for certain automobile purchases that rely less heavily on gasoline such as hybrids and electric only vehicles.
Would you be willing to pay more for a vehicle if you could literally cut your gas prices in half?