U of M: CAFE standards could mean bigger cars

I find the article at the link below a little hard to believe, but I wanted to provide you with a brief status on the CAFE issue. Like many lobbyists who work on the CAFE issue, I purchased a car of choice several years ago and have been babying it so the car will last many years in anticipation of significant downsizing of the fleet and a reduced choice of vehicles. 

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has long opposed the significant increases in CAFE standards. especially the huge increases being proposed by the Administration (up to 54.5 mpg by 2025 with 5% increase per year.)  MRAA’s concern is that the smaller vehicles that will be produced to meet the high CAFE standards will not be strong enough to safely pull the size of boats popular with consumers. 

Now a newly released study by the University of Michigan Department of Engineering says the automakers will actually be able to increase the size of vehicles due to the way the proposed rule is written. Perhaps that is why there hasn’t been an uproar to oppose these increases in CAFE. The auto manufacturers have not been willing to fund a campaign, for example. Please read the article.  It is brief but good.

Study: CAFE Standards Could Mean Bigger Cars, Not Smaller Ones