While California breaks away from the national emissions standards, Canada is headed in the opposite direction towards unified efficiency regulations. “At this point in the United States, it would appear that they are headed towards a 35-mile-per-gallon standard by 2020 and that would start to come into effect in the 2011 model year,” says Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice. “We’ve essentially been prepared to go in that same direction . . . what we’re striving for is a North American standard because we know there’s only one North American automobile industry.” Prentice is in Washington DC discussing energy and environmental policy with the Obama administration. “The first thing that has to happen, however, is that the United States has to land with their own domestic policy,” Prentice tells Automotive News [sub]. “It’s by no means clear how this will emerge from Congress over the course of the next year.” Or whether California will play along. From an industry perspective, consistent regulations from the US to Canada would be welcome, although average fleet economy is not a favored regulatory metric.
Where is the news? Canada is just formalizing what is a de facto situation: we can’t impose standards going against the US because we’re simply too small for that. Now, if you want to encourage fuel efficiency, why don’t you start with some significant tax incentives for small-car buyers/owners? That would mean keeping economy of scale by allowing the same models as in the US, and at the same time rewarding those who drive gas sippers.
Why not, it’s not like Canada-only products like the, uh, um…
…the Pontiac Wave? Never mind.