Automakers can do better; just<br> look at their European models

To the editor,
Here are some of the real facts: As adults, the Detroit Three corporate management hopefully understood (and still understand) the intent of the U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that started with the oil embargos of the 1970s and continues with the even more urgent national need today (“R.I. gas prices surge to 3rd record high,” April 28, PBN.com). Sadly, their domestic performance does not reflect that understanding.
Yet, they have demonstrated the capability to develop and provide radically higher fuel economy (and lower emissions) in Europe (EU) since 1998. For example, here is the number of U.S. vehicles with combined fuel efficiency of 25 miles per gallon made by the Big Three, as well as automobiles marketed in Europe by the Detroit Three.
• U.S. Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep) – four vehicles (“best” gets 26 mpg).
• EU Chrysler – seven vehicle configurations rated 32 to 40 mpg.
• U.S. Ford (Ford, Mercury) – five (two “bests at 32 ,pg).
• EU Ford – 22 vehicle configurations rated 42 to 58 mpg.
• U.S. GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saturn) – 24 (“best” at 29 mpg).
• EU GM (Opel, Vauxhall) – 50 vehicle configurations rated 42 to 53 mpg.
There are no vehicles from the Detroit Three in the United States rated higher than a 33 mpg combined average.
The U.S. versus EU offerings clearly demonstrate that U.S. consumers could easily reduce fuel consumption by more than 50 to 60 percent simply through choice of vehicle if a choice were available.
That choice, alone, could put several thousand dollars per year back into the consumers’ pockets.
With wide enough acceptance, oil imports could approach zero within 10 years. That would be about $800 billion per year savings in unnecessary fuel consumption ($600 billion per year just for imported oil) based on today’s prices. And automotive emissions, including CO2, could be reduced by possibly 50 percent or more. That could easily be as much as a 60-percent reduction in the domestic automotive carbon footprint.
That $800 billion per year fuel-cost savings could pay for between 4 million and 8 million new jobs for our young people – as well as those displaced by downsizing and outsourcing – plus the many people returning to civilian life from the military.
Would these higher mpg vehicles reduce the price of petro fuels? Sadly, probably not. But the number of trips to the “pump” could certainly be reduced, thus reducing annual fuel costs.