Cars Must Get 35.7mpg by 2015

Attack on $38K gas-guzzler called a 'hate crime'

(NEWSER) - A 32-year-old man in Northwest DC woke to find his dream car—a $38,000 Hummer—with slashed tires, smashed windows, and a message carved into its body: "FOR THE ENVIRON." In a green-friendly neighborhood dominated by hybrids, two masked eco-extremists decided to punish Gareth Groves by mutilating his favorite possession. More»

Obama hails new goal with automakers

(NEWSER) - Announcing new fuel-efficiency standards, President Obama hailed his administration’s deal with automakers as “the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” With mileage standards almost doubling, Americans will save some $8,000 per vehicle on fuel, the president said. The new requirements call for an average of 54.5 mpg for cars, light trucks, and SUVs by 2025, the Detroit Free Press reports. CEOs of the Big Three and some Asian automaker executives joined Obama for the ceremony. More»

Conventional cars are giving hybrids a run for their money

(NEWSER) - Hybrids are gas-sipping wonders, and electric cars may be the green wave of the future, but oil-addicted America's best hope may be ... the conventional gasoline engine, reports the Washington Post . GM, Ford, and Hyundai are now selling cars with conventional engines that get 40mpg or better on the highway, and getting there wasn't that hard: Chevy shaved 200 hundred pounds off its Cruze Eco, tightened the aerodynamics, upgraded the engine, and is now squeezing 50mpg out of the car. More»

(NEWSER) - GM held a triumphant press conference this morning, announcing that, using newly devised EPA methodology, its 2011 Chevy Volt will get a whopping 230 miles per gallon in city driving, by far the highest fuel efficiency rating ever. No car has ever so much as sniffed 100mpg before; the Prius gets 51. But there’s ample cause for skepticism, Cars.com blogger David Thomas explains. More»

Demand rising for electric alternatives, so makers, legislators must seize moment

(NEWSER) - Sky-high gas prices are finally pushing top US auto-makers to turn out fuel-efficient vehicles, and both Detroit and Washington should keep the pedal down to make a permanent change in how, and what, Americans drive, the US top car salesman tells the Wall Street Journal. "You have to tell the American people the truth," the CEO of AutoNation says. "Energy costs will be higher." More»