Analysts - Return Of Chimpy Aids Big Three (Really? No shit?)

"President George W. Bush's re-election likely will forestall big increases in automotive fuel economy requirements, industry analysts and environmentalists say. In turn, that should be a boon to the U.S. Big Three automakers, who derive most of their profits from sport utility vehicles and other light trucks.

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Although never specifying a figure during his campaign, Kerry had called for an increase in "corporate average fuel economy" requirements for vehicles. They stand now at 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 20.5 mpg for most light trucks, including SUVs. The truck average is being ratchetted up to 22.2 mpg by the 2007 model year.

"The fact that Bush has won the election, in some respects, bodes a little better at least for the Big Three," Erich Merkle, senior auto analyst at the auto industry forecasting firm IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids Mich., said referring to General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler unit.

At the environmentalist Sierra Club, though, global warming program director Dan Becker said failure of the federal government to mandate major improvements in auto fuel efficiency will speed up the loss of market share by the Big Three to Toyota and Honda, who are leading in hybrid and other fuel-saving technologies. "That's bad for the environment," said Becker, whose group favors a corporate fuel efficiency requirement of 40 miles per gallon phased in over a decade, "because more companies need to be making cleaner cars than just Toyota and Honda."

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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-bzoil044029596nov04,0,3374700.story?coll=ny-lipolitics-print

Hmm, that's funny, I guess they didn't get the press release about GM & Ford sales dropping 5% in October.

make Bush's opposition to CAFE increases irrelevant. The Big-3 will have to improve their fleet mileage in order to remain competitive.

Hmmm. It's almost like I've lived thru this movie before, in the 70s...

toyota pickup owner, outdoorsmen, and member of sierra club, I hate the big three. Why is it that dodge trucks get 13 city and 17 mpg highway. If their trucks are so tough how come they kill my air. That drives me to smoke cigs, I don't want to live in a country so obviously addicted to, as Cosby would say, grease!


By a future canadian writer