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Motor Authority - blog Tag: Barack Obama

  • Automakers To Make 5% Annual Fuel Economy Gains Through 2016

    Automakers To Make 5% Annual Fuel Economy Gains Through 2016 September 16th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran's avatar Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, September 16th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 0 Comments

    Automakers To Make 5% Annual Fuel Economy Gains Through 2016

    Automakers are already fretting at the thought of achieving the new 35.5 mpg CAFE standards imposed by the U.S. government by 2016, and now the Obama administration has laid out the groundwork necessary to meet the target by the proposed deadline. The plan requires a gain of over 5% per year, matching a standard imposed by California and several other states, ending chances of a patchwork of different standards for the U.S.

    Until now, automakers had no knowledge of what targets would have to be met between the 2012 to 2015 model years. The first increase of 5% would start from an average of 27.3 mpg for the 2011 model year, the...

    Automakers are already fretting at the thought of achieving the new 35.5 mpg CAFE standards imposed by the U.S. government by 2016, and now the Obama administration has laid out the groundwork necessary to meet the target by the proposed deadline. The plan requires a gain of over 5% per year, matching a standard imposed by California and several other states, ending chances of a patchwork of different standards for the U.S. Until now, automakers had no knowledge of what targets would have to be met between the 2012 to 2015 model years. The first increase of 5% would start from an average of 27.3 mpg for the 2011 model year, the Transportation Department and EPA revealed in a statement yesterday. The levels for cars would rise from 33.6 to about 38.0 mpg from 2012 to 2016, the proposal said. Similar standards for light trucks would increase from 25.0 to about 28.3 mpg. The first-ever national greenhouse-gas standard also would require model-year 2016 vehicles to meet combined average emission levels of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Consumers are expected to benefit directly, saving more than $3,000 in fuel costs over the life of their vehicles. The costs to buy the cars--which will by necessity be more expensive than current cars--will be recouped within three years, according to the Obama administration, though what figure they're using for fuel prices isn't disclosed. Furthermore, the savings for the economy are estimated at up to 1.8 billion barrels of oil over five years, or the same as taking about 58 million cars off the roads. About 900 million metric tons of green house gas emissions will also be prevented. [AutoNews, sub req'd] Read More

  • Obama signs $2 billion emergency funding for 'Clunker' program

    Obama signs $2 billion emergency funding for 'Clunker' program August 7th, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, August 7th, 2009 Ralph Hanson 8 Comments

    Obama signs $2 billion emergency funding for 'Clunker' program That was quick. Just a month after President Obama signed in the $1 billion ‘cash for clunkers’ bill, and less than a week of it running, the program has already run out of money once and received approval from both the House and Senate for another $2 billion. With Obama's signature today, the money is official, and available to buyers that haven't yet cashed in their clunker.

    The additional funds come less than a week after confusing and conflicting messages about the program's possible termination from the White House and the Department of Transportation. The latest action by the Senate makes it clear that the government wants... That was quick. Just a month after President Obama signed in the $1 billion ‘cash for clunkers’ bill, and less than a week of it running, the program has already run out of money once and received approval from both the House and Senate for another $2 billion. With Obama's signature today, the money is official, and available to buyers that haven't yet cashed in their clunker. The additional funds come less than a week after confusing and conflicting messages about the program's possible termination from the White House and the Department of Transportation. The latest action by the Senate makes it clear that the government wants to see the highly popular program continue. The money will be taken from part of the $787 billion stimulus package approved earlier this year. Originally expected to last through the next several months at least, Ray La Hood, U.S. Transportation Secretary told Automotive News that the additional funding will extend the temporary program through Labor Day and spur about 500,000 new auto sales on top of the 250,000 already completed. Under the original program, owners of old cars that cannot achieve above 18mpg in their combined cycles were eligible for a $3,500 voucher from the government towards the purchase of a new car that is at least 4mpg more efficient. Up to $4,500 is available to those who improve their gas mileage figures by 10mpg or more. Trucks use a different system, where the new truck being purchased has to achieve at least 18mpg and also be 2mpg more efficient than the traded in vehicle. This gets owners the $3,500 voucher, while those improving their mileage by 5mpg get the full $4,500. Read More

  • 47% of first 80,000 'cash for clunkers' sales from American brands

    47% of first 80,000 'cash for clunkers' sales from American brands August 3rd, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, August 3rd, 2009 Ralph Hanson 2 Comments

    47% of first 80,000 'cash for clunkers' sales from American brands Ford may be the only American carmaker reporting a rise in sales for July, but Detroit's beleaguered trio didn't fare too badly - almost half of the fuel-efficient upgrades sold in the CARS 'cash for clunkers' bonanza were GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles, according to the White House.

    Only little over 80,000 of the clunkers deals have been processed by the NHTSA so far, with the American carmakers claiming 47% of the take. It will take a while - possibly months - for the final tally to be released, but the early numbers could be a good sign for the Detroit 3.

    Another $2 billion in funding is expected to be added to the CARS till once the... Ford may be the only American carmaker reporting a rise in sales for July, but Detroit's beleaguered trio didn't fare too badly - almost half of the fuel-efficient upgrades sold in the CARS 'cash for clunkers' bonanza were GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles, according to the White House. Only little over 80,000 of the clunkers deals have been processed by the NHTSA so far, with the American carmakers claiming 47% of the take. It will take a while - possibly months - for the final tally to be released, but the early numbers could be a good sign for the Detroit 3. Another $2 billion in funding is expected to be added to the CARS till once the Senate takes action on the bill approved by the House last week, but in the mean time, the Obama administration has guaranteed the program will remain functional. Should the Senate vote down the extra money, however, the program will most likely cease immediately. The 47% role of the American brands in the CARS haul is about 2% greater than their combined market share, reports The Detroit News, meaning they've effectively snatched some of that deficit back from the foreign marques. Coming out a particular winner was Ford's Focus compact, which was the most popular vehicle chosen among the first 80,000 claims. President Barack Obama released a statement on Friday calling for swift Senate action to keep the program alive as a key part of the ongoing economic recovery. "This program has been an overwhelming success, allowing consumers to trade in their less fuel efficient cars for a credit to buy more fuel efficient new models....The program has proven to be a successful part of our economic recovery and will help lessen our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of the air we breathe," said the President. "I urge the Senate to act with the American consumers in mind to pass this important legislation." Read More

  • Foreign luxury carmakers could get loophole in upcoming fuel regulations

    Foreign luxury carmakers could get loophole in upcoming fuel regulations July 31st, 2009 ByAlex Kaufmann Alex Kaufmann, Author, July 31st, 2009 Alex Kaufmann 5 Comments

    Foreign luxury carmakers could get loophole in upcoming fuel regulations In May the White House unveiled a new fuel efficiency policy calling for 35.5mpg fleet averages by 2016, and almost immediately the carmakers began talking about how much it would cost them. But now it looks like the luxury carmakers in the U.S. - primarily foreign marques - could catch a break thanks to an exemption being considered by the Obama administration.

    Currently the plan would put an industry-wide standard into place, but the exemption, nicknamed the 'German provision' by lobbyists, would allow carmakers that sell fewer than 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. each year to be held to a less stringent standard, report The Wall Street... In May the White House unveiled a new fuel efficiency policy calling for 35.5mpg fleet averages by 2016, and almost immediately the carmakers began talking about how much it would cost them. But now it looks like the luxury carmakers in the U.S. - primarily foreign marques - could catch a break thanks to an exemption being considered by the Obama administration. Currently the plan would put an industry-wide standard into place, but the exemption, nicknamed the 'German provision' by lobbyists, would allow carmakers that sell fewer than 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. each year to be held to a less stringent standard, report The Wall Street Journal. Obvious beneficiaries of the exemption would be the German carmakers Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, two of the loudest opponents of the rule in the first place. In many ways the provision makes sense, since smaller carmakers are ostensibly less able to absorb the costs necessary to improve emissions to requisite levels due to the lack of small, low-end vehicles to boost their efficiency figures. The per-unit costs of such upgrades would also be huge for a small-volume carmaker, and legislating companies out of business isn't the goal. On the flip side, allowing these companies to continue with less strict fuel efficiency standards works against the intent of the single national framework sought by the Obama administration and also undermines the ecological benefits of more efficient vehicles. Other carmakers that could see some benefit from the proposed exemption include Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Subaru. Read More

  • EPA gives California and 13 other states waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions

    EPA gives California and 13 other states waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions July 1st, 2009 ByJames Martinez James Martinez, Author, July 1st, 2009 James Martinez 1 Comment

    EPA gives California and 13 other states waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week granted California a long-anticipated Clean Air Act Waiver. Under the plan, California - along with 13 other states - will enforce its own emissions standards until the 2012 model year, when the federal government will begin phasing in new national standards that will require a fleet average of 35.5mpg by 2016.

    The issue dates back to 2004, when California adopted standards that were then significantly tighter than those of the federal government. Under the Bush administration, California had been denied the permission by the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the new rules, after... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week granted California a long-anticipated Clean Air Act Waiver. Under the plan, California - along with 13 other states - will enforce its own emissions standards until the 2012 model year, when the federal government will begin phasing in new national standards that will require a fleet average of 35.5mpg by 2016. The issue dates back to 2004, when California adopted standards that were then significantly tighter than those of the federal government. Under the Bush administration, California had been denied the permission by the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the new rules, after a long, intentional delay, but the decision to uphold them has been expected for some time under the Obama administration. In 2007, Congress had proposed a 35-mpg standard by 2020; with the anticipated slow ramp-up of the rule, it would have created more than a decade in which automakers would have to deal with complying with two disparate standards - costing the industry tens of billions of dollars, by some accounts. The new federal standards will be in step with California's effort to achieve another 30% reduction in tailpipe emissions - effectively avoiding the need for automakers to comply with two different standards, and hopefully keeping vehicle cost down. As part of the agreement, California retains its rights to develop future emissions standards independent of the federal government, but it won't impose tougher standards on greenhouse gas emissions until 2017; and in return automakers are expected to drop remaining lawsuits against the state. Although this means that automakers will have to comply with stricter standards in the 14 California-emissions states in the interim, this likely won't have much if any effect on the current market. Most automakers have already been issuing lower-emission PZEV versions of vehicles for these states. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) responded to the decision cautiously. "We are hopeful the granting of this waiver will not undermine the enormous efforts put forth to create the national program," said Dave McCurdy, the group's president and CEO. Read More

  • President Obama signs in Cash-for-Guzzlers bill

    President Obama signs in Cash-for-Guzzlers bill June 24th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, June 24th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 10 Comments

    President Obama signs in Cash-for-Guzzlers bill The Cash-for-Guzzlers bill is just one of the incentives the government is trying to implement to bring the U.S. auto industry back to its pre-recession levels. Recently, the Cash-for-Guzzlers scheme garnered approval of both House and Senate negotiation teams, and now it has passed into law with the signing today of the bill by President Barack Obama. The bill will now pass into a 30-day review period in which the federal government will prepare regulations for the program.

    The approval came as part of a larger $106 billion wartime spending proposal - out of this amount, just $1 billion was set aside for the Cash-for-Guzzlers program, or... The Cash-for-Guzzlers bill is just one of the incentives the government is trying to implement to bring the U.S. auto industry back to its pre-recession levels. Recently, the Cash-for-Guzzlers scheme garnered approval of both House and Senate negotiation teams, and now it has passed into law with the signing today of the bill by President Barack Obama. The bill will now pass into a 30-day review period in which the federal government will prepare regulations for the program. The approval came as part of a larger $106 billion wartime spending proposal - out of this amount, just $1 billion was set aside for the Cash-for-Guzzlers program, or less than 1%. In reality, the full cost of the program is expected to be around $4 billion, but the $1 billion allocated should be enough to run the program until the end of September this year, reports Automotive News. The stipulations in the program are largely the same as that being proposed when the program was first scrapped in the U.S. Senate for giving Detroit too much of an advantage over foreign car manufacturers with local production facilities. The recently agreed upon scheme carries on the same proposal for vouchers of up to $4,500 for new car buyers who exchange gas-guzzlers for gas-sippers. The new program will only affect owners of old cars that cannot achieve above 18mpg in their combined cycles. If these owners swap their cars for a new car that is at least 4mpg more efficient, they will be eligible to receive a $3,500 voucher from the government. The full $4,500 is only available to those who improve their gas mileage figures by 10mpg or more. Trucks use a different system, where the new truck that is being purchased must achieve at least 18mpg and also be 2mpg more efficient than their current vehicle. This would garner owners the $3,500 voucher, while those improving their mileage by 5mpg would get the full $4,500. Combined with new tax breaks from the government that eliminate local and state taxes, the government is significantly absorbing the costs of new cars to keep the auto industry viable through the recession. Read More

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