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Obama's greener cars 'will reduce CO2 by 1bn tons'
Paul Thompson in Miami16 Sep 2009
President Barack Obama signalled the end of gas guzzling cars in America with a carrot and stick approach.
Tough new rules for the car industry are aimed at making the US more environmentally friendly by 2016.
Mr Obama said his changes will add about £600 to the cost of a new car.
But he said drivers will save more than £2,000 over the life of their car in fuel bills.
All cars and light lorries will have to meet a fuel efficiency target of 35.5miles per gallon within the next seven years. Car makers have been told to improve mileage rates from 2012 through existing technology or alternatives, such as hybrid cars powered by hydrogen.
As a result of the new targets White House officials said America will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil from 2012 to 2016.
Carbon dioxide emissions from exhausts will be reduced by a billion tons over the same period.
Speaking yesterday to car workers at a General Motors plant in Ohio, Mr Obama said the new fuel rules were the way forward. "For too long our auto companies faced uncertain and conflicting fuel economy standards, he said.
"That made it difficult for you to plan down the road. That's why we are launching, for the first time in history, a new national standard aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in America.
"This action will give our auto companies some long-overdue clarity, stability and predictability." The fuel rules will apply to vehicles imported from Germany and Japan as well as American cars.
