Margo Oge, EPA director-office of transportation and air quality, has made a plea to the auto industry to end the current horsepower wars that have produced such vehicles as the 620-hp Corvette ZR1. Instead, she hopes the industry, specifically domestic automakers, will start a new war, a green war, to create the "most affordable and desirable, low carbon-vehicle each year." Such a challenge, she claims, could help spark economic growth and see the transportation sector "reclaim the mantle of the country's economic growth over the next decade." Her arguments, which can be read in more detail at Ward's Auto, are well reasoned, and while automakers can hardly deny their part in an arms race for more horsepower, many are also on the front lines of a battle to make green vehicles that are more desirable than their competitors. One need only look at the squabbling that goes back and forth between GM and Toyota over which is better, a series hybrid like the Volt or a parallel hybrid like the Prius. The latter two automakers, being the largest full-line automakers in the world, are forced to deal with the dissonance of producing desirable, high-horsepower sports cars and full-size trucks while at the same time being on the cutting edge of new green technology. It's not hypocrisy, it's the reality of offering many different types of vehicles to the widest range of customers.
And despite Oge's plea, automakers are keenly aware of what needs to be done in order to meet new, stricter CAFE standards by 2020. GM has already cancelled plans for a new V8 and Ford has practically committed itself to replacing eight-cylinder engines with more efficient turbocharged, direct-inject V6 powerplants. The rub is that any progress made by an automaker to make its vehicles more green cannot happen at the expense of performance, reliability and comfort. We want our new cars to be as good as they were last year in every way, with better fuel economy and cleaner emissions. It's a tall order, but don't worry Margo. Both federal regulations and consumer pressure guarantee they're working hard on it.
[Source: Ward's Auto]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Radix @ Jan 29th 2008 11:32AM
Margo Oge, EPA director-office of transportation and air quality, has made a plea to the auto industry to end the current horsepower wars as she drives around in her Nissan Armada
maximaman @ Jan 29th 2008 11:33AM
It's the japanese automakers who have been pushing the HP war forever now, especially Nissan. 260+ DOHC v6s have been available forever and a day now from them, GM and ford are just catching up now. V6 maximas, altimas, accords, camrys have been faster and pushing higher HP ratings since the mid 90's. They give the public what they want, high HP muscle midsize v6 sedans.
psarhjinian @ Jan 29th 2008 11:54AM
So, what about those supercharged Grand Prixs and Regals that GM fans were flagwaving about when Nissan debuted the 240hp second-gen Altima.
No, this is industry-wide and you can't lay the blame at any one manufacturer's feet. About the only manufacturer who isn't involved in the mainstream-car horsepower wars is Kia, and to a lesser degree, Ford/Mazda.
On that note, it's telling that, despite how well Consumer Reports rates the Optima/Magentis and Fusion, the mainstream press has always panned on them because of their comparative lack of power. Neither car is slow, per se, but they're not the tire-shredders that their better-selling competition is, despite being, holistically, better cars.
mike @ Jan 29th 2008 12:56PM
"One need only look at the squabbling that goes back and forth between GM and Toyota over which is better, a series hybrid like the Volt or a parallel hybrid like the Prius."---This has GOT to be a joke of the day. How can GM tell anything to Toyota if they do not even make hybrids. I mean i understand if it was Honda and Toyota, or GM and Chrysler......but GM and Toyota??? LOL Not only is GM clueless on hybrids.............their hybrid may or may not come in 2010...and it will cost 40+ G's.
I bet Volt will be build...it will be build in the same factory Chevy Sequal is being build as we speak.
Doogie Fullhouser @ Jan 29th 2008 11:35AM
Supercars aren't the problem. Its the other 99.5% of the cars on the road they should be worried about.
Seoultrain @ Jan 29th 2008 11:53AM
agreed, except it's probably more like 99.99%.
John R @ Jan 29th 2008 11:55AM
Thats what I'm saying. Exotics make up, what? Less than 1% of the cars on the road?
Seoultrain @ Jan 29th 2008 12:01PM
way less than 1%, and they're driven considerably less.
Ryan @ Jan 29th 2008 11:36AM
How about green-horsepower wars. There will always be car enthusiasts who demand performance oriented cars, so instead of nixing the idea all toeghter how about seeing who can achieve the highest performance from the smallest, most fuel effecient vechicle.
jordan @ Jan 29th 2008 11:36AM
As said in the post, pushing more green-only tech over power can't work in this market. The business has to attract a customer in some way, and they know that (as history shows) there are more people willing to pay big bucks for big horsepower than there are people willing to pay big bucks for "Look, mom, I saved a few trees this year!"-type cars. Now, as technology grows and changes, that trend may change, as there may be better ways to get more power from greener technologies without these added costs associated with some hybrid cars (ie: Prius) that will make them just as fun to drive as today's sports cars. As of right now, they cater to what the customer craves for the most part (power!).
davido @ Jan 29th 2008 3:18PM
Insideline has an article today on the Audi RS6 Avant, a 520hp STATIONWAGON! for God's sake which in it's ungoverned form has seen 202mph on the Autobahn and runs sub 5secs 0-60.
To put that in perspective, one of the most iconic sports/race cars of all time, the Ferrari GTO topped out at 180mph and didn't accelerate as fast as the Audi with the LeMans gearing that would let it reach that speed. The Ford GT40 that first ran at LeMans in 1964 was one of the first LeMans racers that exceeded 200mph. It ran 207.
Something seems seriously screwed up in an era of $90 dollar/barrel oil when every major automaker wants to build a 500+ hp luxury sedan when there is nowhere in the US where all of that power can be used legally and few places where it can be used safely.
And every other car in the lineup gets a power boost when this happens so that the folks who shop in the mainstream feel like they're getting some of the techno goodies that the exotics have. That's how we get 280hp Camrys.
And if you're going to complain about government limiting your choices, why not complain about speed limits and street racing bans that limit how you use the cars you say you want the freedom to buy? I mean what sense does it make to demand that the government let you buy what you want if it won't let you use it the way you want?
Paul P. @ Jan 29th 2008 11:37AM
Personally, I'd rather see the horsepower war turn into a war for lighter weight cars. I think the horsepower numbers we have currently are solid. No reason to go down much or up much. What we need is lighter weight, which will make cars faster (without increasing HP), make handeling better, and make fuel economy better. It would be win-win for everyone.
jordan @ Jan 29th 2008 11:46AM
Agreed. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's any one company willing to completely jump onto the light-weight bandwagon, pun intended. GM has said that they're going to start to look into replacing more parts with fiberglass and carbon fiber over the next few years, but what the industry really needs is for a company to really invest in either carbon fiber or another lamination-type technology for body panels and stop making everything from aluminum and steel. Once one of the big 2.5 get into it, costs will be driven down, allowing other companies to start producing it, which will drive down costs more.
I think there is just too much worry about (well, you don't usually have a problem w/CF compared to steel until it comes to fender-benders, where CF will just shatter where-as steel/alminum will just dent). It would be nice to have the idea of replacement body panels become a bit more convenient for the consumer, where they could easily purchase a replacement body panel fairly cheap and easily replace the aforementioned damaged panel. Yes, you might have to drive around a bit without said panel for a few days until your replacement arrives, but once it's replaced, it'd look like new again!
And safety shouldn't be compromised, as the frame is what should be receiving most of the energy transfer anyways.
Alex @ Jan 29th 2008 11:39AM
I was worried that the EPA was going try to get Congress to pass legislation to limit the vehicle of all cars. that would have made me and baby jesus cry.
Alex @ Jan 29th 2008 11:39AM
remove vehucle and insert HP.
/i'm an idiot.
Derek @ Jan 29th 2008 2:16PM
a HP limit might be a good thing - we might finally see some sportscars that aren't ridiculously overweight.
620hp ZR-1 motor in a 1000# Lotus Seven? mwahahahaha!!!
treehugger @ Jan 29th 2008 11:44AM
capping horsepower is the only way to use market forces to push the industry to adapt fuel efficiency over power. The fact that mileage (especially mileage in JAPANESE CARS) has gone down why horsepower has exponentially grown (AGAIN ESPECIALLY IN JAPANESE CARS) over the past 30 years proves that high horsepower will always win in the free market because it's what the public wants. The public only wants HP pure and simple. Capping HP will change that and force the public to look towards fuel efficiency.
jordan @ Jan 29th 2008 11:49AM
I agree that that's the only way to change the market, but where do you get to draw the line? I don't want to turn this into an argument about government control, but I do just want to state that at some point, we have to have the freedom to make our own choices (and not from a list of choices that your country's government has deemed acceptable).
chrisdavis @ Jan 29th 2008 12:39PM
Horsepower is not the problem. It's not even a symptom. Stay focused on the problems; fuel consumption and pollution. The manufacturer that optimizes the equation best wins. Most of the market demands horsepower and that is why we have abundant supply. Manufacturers have been able to maintain efficiency while raising horsepower. Those who can continue to raise horsepower and meet other demands (quality, style, etc.) while meeting efficiency standards will be rewarded by the market.
Jared @ Jan 29th 2008 1:32PM
treehugger: that's a typical communist/command-economy outlook. "We know better than those idiot consumers, so we'll limit what they can buy."
Problem is, it doesn't work, as evidenced by the failure of CAFE.
There is a simple solution, one that has proven to be successful throughout Europe for raising fleet fuel economy: raise the fuel tax (and while we're at it, get the extraordinary rendition team to take the CARB idiots down to some comfy cells in Gitmo). We need to use the natural economic forces and take advantage of the price elasticity of the demand for gasoline. If gas costs more, people will buy cars that use less. It really is that simple.
If we don't work to change what people want to buy, and only still control what suppliers can make, then we'll never solve the problem.