Big Three U.S. Auto Makers Commit To Fuel Efficiency

"Gas prices are slipping southward again, just as the summer driving season ebbs. But big auto makers say that isn't going to change their newfound determination to make fuel economy a top priority from now on."

"It appears that a summer of $3 a gallon gasoline has accomplished what years of hectoring from environmental activists, various forms of government regulation and even those horrific events of five years ago (9/11) did not.

It has changed the mindset in Detroit. Fuel efficiency is now at or near the top of the list of concerns as executives, engineers and designers plan the generation of vehicles that will hit the roads later this decade and early in the next."

The car rental industry is also reflecting a newly found concern for fuel efficiency.

"Hertz's Green Collection is focused on larger, family-sized cars that get good mileage, says Rich Broome, Hertz's vice president for corporate affairs.

"Hertz's program bears watching, in part because it amplifies Detroit's current definition of "fuel efficient" as a midsize car that gets around 30 miles per gallon on the highway."

"The next chapter in the fuel efficiency race likely will be how, and how fast, car makers can raise the bar above 30 mpg highway for a family car."

Americans have high expectations, according to a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates. Among consumers surveyed who said they expect to buy a new vehicle within the next two years, 57% said they plan to consider a hybrid, according to J.D. Power research."

{Note from Editor: This article will be available to non-subscribers of the Online Wall Street Journal for up to seven days.}