Study: Proposed Fuel Economy Rules Cut 7 Million Car Buyers Out of New-Vehicle Market

[dragginbody87]

http://www.nadafrontpage.com/NADA_Pr..._of_Market.xml

[Tanro]

Ridiculous. The government shouldn't be able to dictate fuel economy. Customers will buy what they want to buy, higher fuel prices will probably lead people to buy the most fuel efficient vehicles, so manufacturers will produce more fuel efficient vehicles without being forced to meet unreasonable fuel efficiency estimates. The government is no expert on fuel efficiency, or automobiles, the old saying goes "I can get a good look at a steak by sticking my head up a cows butt however, I'd rather take the butcher's word."

[Samir]

Very interesting study. They even broke it down by state.

Government mandates have what driven the cost of cars up dramatically. Imagine if air bags were optional? You know how much those things and the related systems cost? It's amazing that cars can still be made sub-$20k.

[Tanro]

Safety is another concern, I am glad airbags, seatbelts, and safety glass are required. But IMO Traction control, and ABS should not be required. I HATE abs, its terrible. Though for some people its a good thing, for a person who expects my breaks to behave a certain way, and the computer is constantly changing the way your breaks behave, it just causes havoc.

But why should a 110 horsepower fwd have traction control? It generally won't have enough grip to use traction control, and if its a concern with snow/ice then local police should start ticketing people who drive in areas affected by such concerns for not drive with snow tires.

[Samir]

But traction control systems and ABS are part of the whole safety package. Even with these, you should exercise control and know what your car is doing, but they provide an extra buffer. Yes, the ECUs get more expensive, but I doubt they really increase that much in price because of the extra programming.

[Tanro]

In my opinion ABS/TC should at least be optional, or able to be turned off.

[Samir]

Most traction control systems can be turned off, but I know ABS typically can't be.