The following editorial appeared in yesterday's New York Times.
America's automakers have long claimed that it will take major technological breakthroughs to meet the stringent fuel-efficiency standards needed to slash carbon emissions and cope with rising energy prices. But Detroit's new display of muscle cars suggests fuel efficiency is, at this stage, more of a problem of taste and will.
More efficient vehicles are within Detroit's technological reach. Carmakers must decide to make them and consumers must be convinced to buy them.
The latest hot rod to hit showrooms is the new Chevy Camaro. Chrysler recently introduced a new Dodge Challenger. Ford had a hit with the new Mustang. The three cars might help carmakers' bottom lines, but they are unlikely to reduce the United States' carbon footprint. A car that could have -- Chevy's hybrid Malibu sedan -- was killed in June because of lackluster sales.
Even Honda, a paragon of technological efficiency, is less carbon-conscious than it could be. In the United States, the Accord engines come in two sizes: 2.4 and 3.5 liters. In Britain, where heavy taxes on gas keep drivers thrifty, they are smaller: 2.0 to 2.4 liters. The British versions achieve much better mileage.
The challenge for public policy is to steer the choices of industry, and consumers, away from the preference for size and power. And now is the time to do it.
Chrysler and General Motors just emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. Chrysler is managed by Fiat. GM is majority-owned by the government. All are still reeling from falling sales and face a temptation to forget the environment and focus on making money. But a lesson from the past quarter-century is: They can achieve enormous improvements in fuel economy if they want to.
Between 1980 and 2006, the average fuel economy of the American fleet of cars and light trucks gained only 15 percent, according to calculations by Professor Christopher Knittel of the University of California, Davis. From 1980 to 2004, passenger cars' horsepower increased 80 percent, on average. Their weight increased 13 percent. And the share of the sport-utility vehicle market grew from 20 percent to 51 percent. Mr. Knittel concluded that if the fleet had not become heavier and more powerful, it could have achieved a 50 percent gain in fuel economy on the same amount of technical progress.
He estimated that the average economywide fuel efficiency of 35.5 mpg by 2016 that automakers agreed to with the Obama administration is eminently feasible assuming technological change continues at the same pace. Automakers would only have to cut the weight and power of the fleet back to where it was in 1980. Or they could change the car/truck mix back to where it was in 1980 and trim weight and power a little. This trick doesn't require new gizmos.
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