New fuel economy rules issued by the Bush administration will attempt to tighten gas mileage requirements for pickup trucks, SUVs and vans from 2008 through 2011, according to an Associated Press report. Under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system, automakers now must meet an average of 21.6 mpg for their 2006 model year light trucks, and that average will rise to 22.2 mpg for 2007 vehicles. Under the new rules, the fleetwide average would reach 24.1 mpg by 2011. The new rules apply to SUVs weighing 8,500 to 10,000 pounds, such as the Hummer H2 and Chevrolet Suburban, for the first time starting in 2011, but would not include large pickup trucks in the weight class. The new rules would save 10.7 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles sold during the 2008 through 2011 period and go further than an administration proposal issued last summer, according to the AP report. The CAFE system changes, which represent the most significant changes to the system in three decades, were outlined amid growing public concern about U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil and rising gas prices. The new standards are also expected to affect automakers’ product lineup.
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