2008 Explorer America Concept

Topic: 2008 Explorer America Concept (Read 2128 times) previous topic - next topic

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #15 – January 08, 2008, 10:03:39 PM

Do sales volume figures factor into CAFE standards at all?

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #16 – January 08, 2008, 11:29:33 PM

It's been a while since I've read anything reliable about CAFE (usually rantings by Csaba Csere in Car and Driver) so I'm not sure. I do seem to remember reading that the CAFE of a given manufacturer is "sales weighted", meaning that volume would be a factor.

I've tried reading about it on Wikipedia, but since it's a politically charged subject and can be edited by anyone the info there is suspect (and changes regularly).

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #17 – January 09, 2008, 12:28:23 AM

Quote from: JeremyB;196578

I see a C pillar, but no B pillar.

ack your right, i got my letters mixed. but my statement stands just substitute the c for the b

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #18 – January 09, 2008, 12:36:08 AM

Quote

It's been a while since I've read anything reliable about CAFE (usually rantings by Csaba Csere in Car and Driver)

Great minds get their info in the same places sometimes!:D

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #19 – January 09, 2008, 07:33:09 AM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;196563

The 35MPG standard will change the automotive landscape in ways you can't imagine, and $4/gallon gasoline is going to rush those changes. Those funny little microcars that puppiesan and Europe get will come here (IE the Smart car). Compact pickup trucks will likely enjoy a renaissance. So will small hatchbacks in the spirit of the CRX. Four-cylinders will become more popular than V6's in mainstream family cars such as the Camry/Accord/Malibu. Cars will start getting smaller and lighter in successive redesigns instead of larger and heavier.

And the funny thing is, most of these changes were happening anyway, before CAFE was finalised. The only difference now is the thinning out of the V8 cars and models. I'm starting a new thread about CAFE's effects on the auto industry that we see in auto news.

And Demon, you're right. They have sold lots of F-150's and Stangs, but have neglected the real high volume segments. Like a desirable (good and desirable are two different things, and the Fusion has proved that) mid-size sedan, or a decent crossover/minivan (that's what we're seeing here in the Explorer concept). They've left the compact segment to rot.

2008 Explorer America Concept

Reply #20 – January 09, 2008, 09:23:17 AM

Quote from: oldraven;196642

And the funny thing is, most of these changes were happening anyway, before CAFE was finalised. The only difference now is the thinning out of the V8 cars and models. I'm starting a new thread about CAFE's effects on the auto industry that we see in auto news.

Yes, the changes were well underway, driven by simple economics. Gasoline more than doubled in price and suddenly people didn't want to spend as much. A $75 fill-up (something we Canadians have been used to for years) is a real eye opener.

This is why I've got mixed feelings about CAFE. It's nice to see the government trying to do something about excessive fuel consumption, but they're doing it the wrong way. They're forcing manufacturers to build vehicles that customers aren't demanding (same thing happened in the 70's and 80's). A much better way to reduce fuel consumption would be to tax fuel itself. This would make people want more efficient cars because it would directly affect them by making fuel more expensive. This is what is in place in Europe and Asia, and not surprisingly their average fuel economy is double that of ours (and without CAFE!). The revenue generated from road fuel taxes could even go toward subsidizing other forms of fuel that aren't so easy to conserve but are absolutely necessary, such as heating oil, "farm gas", and motor transport fuel.

Of course woe be the politician that points to the public and explains that high fuel prices are the fault of the public for using so much of it, and that the only way to bring those prices down is to drive them up. It would be political suicide to inform the public that personal sacrifice is the only way to conserve fuel.

CAFE is a politician's way of making himself look like he gives a rat's ringpiece without actually doing anything or expecting his constituents to do anything. He shifts the blame to big Corporate boogiemen, ignoring the fact that the only reason automakers build large, thirsty vehicles is that fuel is cheap (yes, at $3/gallon, it's still cheap) so people are buying 'em.