WASHINGTON Order boosts fuel economy on SUVs

Disappointed environmentalists say automakers can increase the miles per gallon far beyond the new standards.
By CRAIG LINDER
STATES NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON -- Sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans will face a modest increase in their fuel economy under a White House proposal reportedly approved Thursday.
The move will require automakers to increase the fuel economy of their light truck product lines by roughly 1.5 miles per gallon over three years, beginning in the 2005 model year, according to industry and congressional aides.
It's the first change in the federal fuel economy regulations that light trucks must meet since Congress froze the current standard at 20.7 mpg in 1996. The modest increase is widely considered a win for automakers, which had faced the prospect of dramatic fuel economy increases in Congress last year.
A daunting task
Still, meeting the new requirements could be a daunting task, automakers say, pointing to data showing that light truck buyers often do not choose economy improving options when they purchase their vehicles.
"It's going to be a significant challenge to meet these standards," said Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "It's like anything else with fuel economy: We build it, but if people don't buy it, the numbers don't go up."
Any increase to the fuel economy standards could bruise the bottom line of Detroit's automakers, which have increasingly emphasized their popular -- and profitable -- SUVs and pickups over their more efficient passenger car lines.
Federal law gives the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a free hand to set standards for light trucks at the "maximum feasible average fuel economy level," but sets the level for passenger cars at 27.5 mpg, which will not change.
Dismayed
Environmentalists were dismayed by the 1.5-mpg increase, saying that existing technologies would allow automakers to increase the fuel economy of their products far beyond the new standards.
Several automakers have already voluntarily committed themselves to boosting the efficiency of their light trucks, including Ford Motor Co., which hopes to achieve a 25 percent increase in its SUV models by 2005.