Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[REPORT: Cheney says Bush left GM bankruptcy for the next guy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/cheney-bush-left-gm-bankruptcy-for-the-next-guy/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/cheney-bush-left-gm-bankruptcy-for-the-next-guy/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/09/cheney-bush-left-gm-bankruptcy-for-the-next-guy/#commentsFiled under: , ,



The writing's been on the wall for years: GM would have to declare bankruptcy if it had any hope of restructuring in order to survive in the long-term. And though the Obama administration's effective take-over of General Motors was hardly the first case of the government nationalizing a private company, President George W. Bush didn't want to be the one to do it.

This, according to former vice-president Dick Cheney, who reportedly admitted in a recent interview on Fox News that the Bush administration floated the $17.4 billion auto industry bailout package in order to give the outgoing administration enough time to exit and for the next administration to settle in before the house of cards in Detroit came tumbling down. According to Cheney, President Bush "decided that he did not want to be the one who pulled the plug just before he left office."

[Source: Motor Authority | Image: Mark Wilson/Getty]

REPORT: Cheney says Bush left GM bankruptcy for the next guy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuel efficiency. It's an issue that has seemingly fallen onto America's the back-burner for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are declining fuel prices and economy along with the auto industry's financial plight. Still, few would argue that the issue of cutting down on petroleum use is any less important today than it was six months ago, so the decision (or, really, the lack thereof) of the Bush Administration to leave future fuel economy standards on the table for President-Elect Barack Obama and his future staff is ruffling a few feathers.

Even the automakers themselves would like to see a new set of rules decided upon so that they can accurately plan for the future. Without the passing of Bush's bill, questions remain as to whether states - especially California - will have the right to impose their own regulations above the national requirements. Oh, and there's also the issue of where the money to develop these fuel efficient technologies will come from. See the official statement from the US Department of Transportation after the break.

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty]

Continue reading Bush declines to enact higher fuel-economy standards

Bush declines to enact higher fuel-economy standards originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year, the Bush administration surprised a lot of green activists by actually surpassing the already challenging CAFE standards for 2011-2015. While automakers like Toyota, Ford, and GM are quietly going about the business of hitting those targets, BMW is speaking up and saying that the targets are unattainable. The German automaker has asked the Bush administration for an alternative plan that helps out the hardest hit automakers, and the new rules are a punch to the gut for the Bavarian Motor crew.

While the corporate average for cars and trucks is 35.7 mpg and 28.6 mpg by 2015, BMW has to hit 37.7 mpg and 31.7 mpg, respectively. The reason for the disparity is the sliding scale the government used to account for differences in size in each automaker's lineup. Since BMW doesn't sell pickup trucks and it has plenty of small and midsize offerings, BMW has to hit higher fuel economy standards. What the CAFE numbers don't take into account is the fact that all BMWs are RWD, and there isn't a four cylinder engine to be found (in the U.S., yet). The Bush administration says its final fuel economy numbers will become public by the end of the year, and if companies like BMW don't get special dispensations, look for there to be smaller engines on the horizion, or bigger fines.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

BMW calls CAFE 'not feasible' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BMWBush Admbush administrationBushAdmBushAdministrationCAFEWed, 02 Jul 2008 08:26:00 EST<![CDATA[First round of CAFE targets to be announced on Earth Day]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/22/first-round-of-cafe-targets-to-be-announced-on-earth-day/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/22/first-round-of-cafe-targets-to-be-announced-on-earth-day/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/22/first-round-of-cafe-targets-to-be-announced-on-earth-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Bush camp hasn't exactly been extolled for its green virtue over the past seven years, but the administration is trying to make up for lost time by announcing 2011-2015 CAFE targets on Earth Day. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is scheduled to announce the targets, which are expected to be differentiated by vehicle size, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Automakers already know they have to get to 35 mpg by 2020, so the 2011-2015 targets should be somewhere between the magic number and today's 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.5 mpg for trucks.

While news of 2011-2015 fuel economy standards isn't exactly the stuff that makes blood boil, today's announcement will help shape what vehicles you'll be able to buy in the years ahead. Something tells us the horsepower war is almost over.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

First round of CAFE targets to be announced on Earth Day originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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