In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, GM Car Czar Bob Lutz said proposed California tailpipe regulations are "an absolute mistake" that would be "impossible to meet." And yet, Maximum Bob predicted that The Golden State is likely to win the court battle over the stricter standards. "The judges aren't scientists," Lutz said. Maximum Bob warned that diesels would not be an easy route to clean air compliance. "We can currently meet 50-state Bin 5 standards, which is six times stricter than the Euro 5 norms, with our existing particulate-catalyzing systems. But these new California standards are not achievable in my opinion." GM's Veep of Global Product Development said that high diesel fuel prices and the $2k premium for oil burning engines made diesel-powered passenger cars unpalatable to American consumers. In other words, diesels and California regulations are a crock of shit.
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Why the hell is there not 1, single, federal regulation regarding fuel economy, emissions, and fuel additives in the United States? Or better yet, 1 regulation across the US, Europe, Japan, China, and India so that any engine/tranny combo can be sold anywhere in the world without having to re-test?
I hate California. Spent 8 years there. They’re off in la-la land most of the time. Problem is they’re so big, with so many people, and somehow got CARB to be a body that can override federal requirements, that the rest of our nation has to pay attention to these loonies.
And unfortunately it is such a new-car cash factory the automakers can’t just stop selling cars there.
It will be interesting to see what they think when they get what they asked for. All those big Benz’s and Bimmers, Porsches, and Lexuses will all no longer be for sale because the only thing that will meet their asinine fuel economy regulations will be little boxes with puny engines and/or “normal” cars with so much expensive wizardry on them they’ll cost tens of thousands more than your “typical” family sedan of today.
But what the hell. They knew best about MTBE right? They knew best about the electric car right? What do they care they polluted ground water and cost auto companies billions in failed attempts to clean up the air??
Love the AG is suing auto companies as well for causing un-repairable harm to California. WTF?!
Screw em.
Let them have whatever standards they want. Simply stop bothering to sell them cars!
A good question would be whether the cost of the new systems (combined with stupid car taxes) will actually reduce sales of the new cars thus creating more pollution as more and more people continue to fix and drive their old ones.
CA was the first state to have a mandatory PCV system factory installed in every car and light truck sold new in the state, beginning with model year 1961.
CA was the first state to require smog pumps on all new vehicles in 1966.
CA was the first state to require NOX devices on all new vehicles in 1968.
It wasn’t long before these features became standard equipment on every vehicle sold throughout the US.
If you lived in LA in the 1950’s, the air was so bad, visibility could be less than a mile. While smog is still a problem today, the air is a hell of a lot cleaner.
LA LA Land = Originally coined by Hollywood types in reference to the film industry.
More new vehicles are sold in CA than in any other state.
There are more vehicles in San Bernardino County than there are in 40 of the 50 states.
Like it…or not, CA has led the nation with tough emissions laws. Other states have followed CA’s lead, by requiring the exact same equipment on new vehicles.
Is your air cleaner today?
If CA hadn’t adapted these tough emissions standards, many of our cities could be as polluted as Mexico City…or worse.
“More new vehicles are sold in CA than in any other state.”
One out of every eight cars sold in the US is sold in the Golden State.
BKW:
If CA hadn’t adapted these tough emissions standards, many of our cities could be as polluted as Mexico City…or worse.
You forgot to mention the tens of billions of California children who’d be dead from bronchitis and lung cancer…
Because we all know there’s no such thing as a reasonable ground among Mexican, Euro, US, and California standards.
It really doesn’t matter what the courts do as ALL THREE of the remaining US Presidential candidates have said that they would direct the EPA to let California have it’s waiver.
The current administration should stop the waste of taxpayer resources on what is surely a moot point.
The people of California have ever right to set their own environmental agenda and standards. If automakers don’t want to comply they can sell their stuff elsewhere.
People only hate on progressive places like California because they are too stuck in their ways to change. Please tell me, why is less pollution and more efficiency a bad thing? And I’m also sick and tired of Detroit whining that something can’t be done and somehow California is going to force us to ride bikes on 60 mile commutes in the snow.
Yeah, the EPA’s own lawyers warned that California would win a legal challenge. Cali’s gonna do what Cali’s gotta do. Doesn’t it suck to have to face the future a little before it actually gets here?
Please realize that the EPA mandates the quality of the air in California and Calif. has to go beyond the normal emission controls to meet that mandate. I remember being at the old Ontario Motor Speedway and not being able to see the San Bernadino Mountains back in 1973. I figure the pollution controls on cars and industry allow us to enjoy the beauty of the state and have the beauty there for the coming generations. Now if we could get all these transplants to leave, it would be even nicer.
You know, I thought one of the wonderful things of our constitution was that States could have their own set of laws (as long as they are reasonable). If California wants stricter laws for California, that’s fine with me, just don’t push it on the other 49.
Then again, Lutz would say it’s not possible to meet those regulations looking at his current and near-future model line up.
California standards are being co-adapted by other districts too. If I am not mistaken, the NE Atlantic area also has CA standards? Also, wasn’t the Seattle area considering too?
Commiefornia needs to go away.
I agree with most of the posts here in that, on this issue, congress has given CA a ton of leeway. Lutz’s point (especially about the whacked 9th circuit) is correct, but the law as written is no prize either.
I mean, if CO2 is a pollutant, then aren’t people a pollutant?
A coupla of PO’d California natives, fed up with the traffic and smog brought on by the influx of millions of ppl from EVERYWHERE else, erected a sign facing east on I-10 in Blythe, at the AZ/CA border.
WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA
NOW GO HOME !!!
“Commiefornia (California) needs to go away.”
Uh huh..You better pray that never happens, because if it did, the world would see the worst Depression ever, 10,000 times worse than in 1929.
CA alone has one of the top 10 economies on the planet. It’s, as I recall, #6 or #7.
P71_CrownVic : If you want commiefornia to go away, we can bring our tens of thousands of cars and emissions regulations to your home state.
Another thought. Lutz is definitely only seeing the downside here. Just think what it will do for GM’s CAFE average if they don’t sell their guzzlers in those 16 states.
California standards are being co-adapted by other districts too.
Yes, any other state is free to use the tougher California emissions standards if they choose to do so.
As mentioned, CA pioneered the use of MTBE to reduce tailpipe emissions. Enjoy your polluted groundwater.
CA pioneered the requirement that a certain percentage of cars sold must be purely electric. Only when faced with consumers who couldn’t stand them, and technology that couldn’t touch current automobile abilities did they drop that requirement. But not until automakers poured billions and billions of dollars into a stupid requirement. Are we about to see the same thing when they mandate their ridiculous fuel economy standards? Its the latest flavor of the day…
CA pioneered the idea of suing automakers for “alleging their vehicles’ emissions have contributed significantly to global warming, harmed the resources, infrastructure and environmental health of California, and cost the state millions of dollars to address current and future effects.” Hmmmm… guess car buyers have no part in this….
I’ll give CA its props for what it did in the 60’s and 70’s. However, it can be taken too far, and they’re crossing that line. Beyond that, why is it that CA gets an exemption from federal standards while every other state has to choose the federal or CA standard? There should be 1 standard. Period.
Jerome10 :
“…why is it that CA gets an exemption from federal standards while every other state has to choose the federal or CA standard? There should be 1 standard. Period.”
They aren’t exempt from it at all. They accept it and add extra features and strictness.
Love that “can’t do” attitude…
I agree with nudave. I don’t care how wacky California’s requests are. Lutz is the public face of GM, and these type of comments make him look like a loser. Who cares if it isn’t possible or practicable? Has this stopped Tesla motors? Has this stopped the media’s love affair with e85?
Bob needs to put his foot in this mouth. Yes, some of these things need to be said, but let somebody else do it. When he spouts off all we can hear is how GM can’t do something again.
Furthermore, California cars can run on banana peels for all I care, as long as they don’t force the other states to follow.
BKW: I believe California is #8 on the list of the world’s largest economies. And your point is a good one. The state has a lot of economic clout and it isn’t afraid to use it.
And what reason would anyone have to be surprised at Lutz’s can’t do attitude?
Meanwhile the Japanese companies will quietly get on with it and comply, while GM continues to spin its wheels trying to bring out the Next Big Thing.
Lutz is a useful tool (besides being just a tool) for prognosticating the future. Whatever he forecasts you can immediately strike off the list of possible futures.
GM was once THE innovator in the auto industry.
Today, it’s the reverse.
Y’all know that for the first time since 1984, the EPA has changed their testing methods inre to estimated MPG figures. The new MPG figures are in place now (2008).
Only one company objected to the EPA testing change, lobbying Congress hard = they lost.
GM
Bancho:
Jerome10 :
“…why is it that CA gets an exemption from federal standards while every other state has to choose the federal or CA standard? There should be 1 standard. Period.”
They aren’t exempt from it at all. They accept it and add extra features and strictness.
So…
The Bancho definition of “standard” is… what?
It’s sure not mine…
CA is exempt by law. Other states can follow CA. Therefore, there are differing standards.