Oct. 29, 2019—General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda and Fiat Chrysler have come out against California's plans for fuel efficiency standards, which the federal government is opposing in court action.
The state is seeking to set its own standards and zero-emission vehicle requirements, which the Trump administration opposes. Reuters reports that the four automakers, as well as the National Automobile Dealers Association, have aligned themselves with the feds. Seven states are backing the administration as well.
Another four automakers are already on California's side. As previously reported, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW are backing California's plan. Some 22 states are also on board with California's challenge to the administration's efforts to block state-level action on emissions, according to the Reuters report.
Here's how the two sides have split on efficiency plans, via Reuters:
In Aug. 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed freezing fuel efficiency requirements at 2020 levels through 2026.
The Obama-era rules adopted in 2012 called for a fleetwide fuel efficiency average of 46.7 miles per gallon by 2026, with average annual increases of nearly 5%, compared with 37 mpg by 2026 under the Trump administration’s preferred option.
The final rule is expected to modestly boost fuel efficiency from the initial proposal, with some automakers anticipating annual increases of about 1.5%, but still much less stringent than the Obama rules.
