The president’s new initiative to raise fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks is good news for the country. More efficient vehicles translates into less dependence on foreign oil and less air pollution.
Yes, it will take some doing to tweak designs to get improved mileage, but the technology to give us more miles per gallon has been around for decades.
Which makes us wonder — why didn’t American car manufacturers start this process themselves years ago? Before the president’s announcement, they maintained that the consumer largely wanted big, powerful vehicles — trucks, SUVs and sedans.
And that meant fuel efficiency took a back seat. If the industry had done more a decade ago to make its vehicles more fuel efficient, perhaps it would be in better shape now. Perhaps the push for better fuel efficiency will help American car makers turn the corner, to better profits and a second chance at long-term survival.
That would be positive news for Detroit and the environment, too.