Fuel Economy Is Up Again, but Why Not More?
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Nov. 25, 2009
By Jim Motavalli
…Why didn’t we see a bigger shift in the fuel economy of cars and trucks sold on dealer lots? According to Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign at the Center for Auto Safety, “Gas prices went up every single year from 2002 to 2008, yet auto companies continued to produce vehicles that guzzled gas. People couldn’t buy fuel-efficient vehicles because the automakers didn’t make enough of them.”
For Mr. Becker, the failure of high gas prices to “move the needle” refutes the conventional wisdom and justifies the move to ratchet up mileage and tailpipe standards….