Published: Aug 03, 2011

Volkswagen Balks At New CAFE Standards

Volkswagen is opposed to the new CAFE standards set by the Obama administration, saying that they unfairly favor some of the worst offenders.

Volkswagen plans to be the biggest automaker in the world in just a few short years, but new fuel economy standards in the world's second-biggest automotive market now present a new challenge, one they feel is unfair. They feel that the standards for light trucks are far too lenient, while smaller and already comparably fuel efficient cars will be held to a much higher standard. The new standards also do very little to encourage diesel, a technology where VW excels.

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VW issued the following statement:
"The largest trucks carry almost no burden for the 2017-2020 timeframe, and are granted numerous ways to mathematically meet targets in the outlying years without significant real-world gains. The proposal encourages manufacturers and customers to shift toward larger, less efficient vehicles, defeating the goal of reduced greenhouse gas emissions". Mercedes-Benz, another company which has done well in making highly fuel efficient diesels for the European market, is joining VW in opposing the new standards.

Several other automakers have already backed the proposed standards, but it is worthwhile to point out that these are companies with significantly higher investment in light trucks, and lower investments in diesels.

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Volkswagen Balks At New CAFE Standards

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