Don't expect sport utility vehicles to be replaced on American roads by two-seat econoboxes as a result of the Bush administration's proposal to boost light-truck fuel economy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Long before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made its proposal to give automakers until 2007 to boost the fuel economy of light-truck fleets by 1.5 miles per gallon, or 7 percent, the industry had been putting the finishing touches on several technologies to eke out gains of that size, according to the Journal. That is why Detroit doesn't seem to be breaking a sweat over the target, despite the administration's contention that the proposal marks a big step toward reducing global warming and U.S. reliance on foreign oil. Indeed, after years of protest that raising federal fuel-economy standards would force Detroit to stop building the kind of big SUVs and pickup trucks that have brought it huge profits, the industry now should be able to meet the administration's target without raising prices much, the Journal said.
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