The NYT reports that the Bush administration may reclassify so-called crossover vehicles such as the PT Cruiser under the fedsâ notorious CAFE standards. CAFE now mandates an average fuel efficiency of 27.5 miles per gallon for âcarsâ and 20.7 miles per gallon for âlight trucksâ produced by each manufacturer.
Unsurprisingly, automakers have sifted through reams of regulations to come up with design features â such as removable back seats â that will transform small vehicles into âtrucksâ for the purposes of CAFE. The advantage of doing this is that all those relatively fuel-efficient PT Cruisers can then be used to âsubsidizeâ SUV mileage numbers, pulling down a makerâs overall âlight tuckâ average.
But donât think for a minute that Washington has become attached to the concept of calling a spade a spade. While Cruisers may indeed be reclassified as cars, the station wagons and minivans may be transformed into âtrucks.â
The reason weâre playing vehicular musical chairs? According to one unnamed official, regulators lack authority to simply change rules governing passenger-car mileage without Congressional authorization. Not that that appears to discourage them.
Posted by Marie Gryphon on March 27, 2003