Auto Engineers See Fuel-Economy Targets Climbing Higher, Survey Reveals update from August 2013

A midterm review is built into the U.S. 2025 corporate average fuel economy target, and the European Union has delayed a vote to adopt stringent carbon-dioxide tailpipe limits in 2020.

That has led to speculation in some corners of the auto industry that the most demanding mileage and emissions rules for auto makers might be eased because of concerns about technological feasibility and negative economic impact.

But a surprising new WardsAuto survey reveals engineers and designers tasked with creating the next generation of vehicles are not looking for a reprieve.

Instead, they are optimistic about the future and expecting regulations governing fuel economy and CO2 emissions to become even tougher than today’s U.S. mileage fleet target of 54.5 mpg (4.31 L/100 km) for 2025 and Europe’s 95 g/km CO2 limit for 2020.

Read the rest of the article on the 2013 CAR Management Briefing Seminars at Penton Inc.'s WardsAuto magazine.