12-23-2010, 02:51 AM
Want a future filled with overpriced & underpowered cars? I don't.
If the standards for safety and emission control proposed for model year 2025 cars are implemented, an Ann Arbor, MI based research group estimates that the average vehicle cost would increase by over 22%. Worse, the Center for Automotive Research says this price increase would negatively impact sales, which (ultimately) would have an impact on employment throughout the automotive industry. The exception to this scenario is if gas prices double in the next 15 years; if that occurs, the increase in fuel efficiency would make the 2025 cars only 10% more expensive than cars of today.
The latest proposal would require a CAFE standard of 60 mpg for cars by 2025. It’s also likely that safety standards will become more stringent over the next decade and a half, with federal standards mandating electronic stability control, rear view cameras, additional airbags and even driver alertness monitoring. The Center for Automotive Research thinks that attaining safety and proposed emission standards in the stated time frame represents a “considerable challenge”. Sean McAlinden, the groups chief economist, favors a more moderate approach, with scheduled technology reviews and milestone objectives along the way. Apparently he’s not comfortable with the government mandating technology that doesn’t exist, either.