SUV Sales

A consumer survey found that less than a third of respondents considered carbon emissions or the environment when they last purchased a motor vehicle, yet three-quarters of Americans consider climate change a major problem or crisis.

February 7, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

GM's first non-internal combustion engine vehicle assembly plant will be in the form of 35-year-old plant straddling the Detroit-Hamtramck border thanks in part to a $2.27 billion state tax credit. Electric pickups, SUVs, and AVs will be produced.

January 30, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Assemblyman Phil Ting seeks to dramatically increase the state electric vehicle sales rebate of $2,500, motivated in part by the phasing-out of the federal EV tax credit of $7,500. The bill rules out significant revenue sources.

August 28, 2019 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Next month, the Trump administration rolls out one of their most significant environmental rollbacks, freezing auto emission and fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels. The deal unveiled by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday may upend Trump's plans.

July 29, 2019 - The Washington Post

No issue is more important to California's air and climate regulators than ensuring that the state retains its ability to set tailpipe emission standards. Mary Nichols, the head of the Air Resources Board, has threatened to ban tailpipes.

May 30, 2019 - CALmatters

Among the factors that stand out in the "Spotlight on Highway Safety" report released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association is increased "death by SUV," which kill at a higher rate than cars. Distraction, however, is hard to prove.

March 4, 2019 - USA Today

The new IPCC report calls for decarbonization of transportation. While many cities are attempting to do their part, two recent federal developments in trade policy and tax legislation threaten to will make progress more difficult.

October 17, 2018 - CityLab

It's a classic paradox, observes David R. Baker for the San Francisco Chronicle: bigger, thirstier vehicles sell better than smaller, more efficient ones, while the market for battery-powered vehicles, especially Teslas, also increases.

August 24, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

The American passenger vehicle fleet is being transformed into bigger, fuel-thirstier, and more dangerous models (for those hit by them). Americans have shown a preference for light trucks, and manufacturers are responding by ditching cars.

May 14, 2018 - Car and Driver

The International Energy Agency found that China and India were responsible for 40 percent of the increased energy demand. The biggest decrease in carbon dioxide emissions came from the U.S., largely due to increased use of renewables.

March 27, 2018 - International Energy Agency

Both are problems, but globally, sports utility vehicles sales are proliferating far faster than cars, be they electric or petrol-powered, posing a major challenge for governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

March 5, 2018 - The New York Times - Climate

Two widely cited University of Michigan transportation researchers urge consumers to drive more fuel efficient vehicles to reduce their own carbon emissions as President Trump works to relax vehicle fuel economy standards.

April 2, 2017 - The New York Times

Next on President Trump's environmental chopping block may be a rollback of fuel efficiency standards. Two auto associations have asked EPA Administer Scott Pruitt to review a decision made last month to retain a 54.5 mpg target.

February 25, 2017 - The Washington Post

Gasoline consumption in the U.S. peaked in 2007, but began climbing in late 2014 with the decline in gas prices. Last year almost set a new record, but increases in gas prices, fuel efficiency and more EVs could reverse the direction—but when?

January 24, 2017 - Oil Price

Last year set two notable vehicle records. First, the most cars ever sold, at 17.54 million. Second, light trucks accounted for almost 61 percent of all sales. Sales of more fuel efficient car fell, though electric vehicle sales increased.

January 10, 2017 - The Drive

It's not just Americans favor SUVs and light truck over compact cars, but that a majority of EV and hybrid owners who have traded in their cars are opting for all-gas vehicles, and that spells trouble for meeting President Obama's climate goals.

June 27, 2016 - The New York Times - Science

Several key factors, not the least of which was cheap gas, combined to make 2015 a record year for new passenger vehicle sales, smashing the 2009 record of 10.4 million sales and edging-out the prior record of 17.40 million sales in 2000.

January 7, 2016 - The Washington Post

Honda announced that low gas prices contributed to low demand for the Civic Natural Gas, the only compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered car for sale, the Civic Hybrid, and their first plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle, the Accord.

June 18, 2015 - Wall Street Journal

Manufacturers say yes, arguing that the reduction in vehicle crashes decreases traffic congestion. Other features improve traffic flow. But these are safety technologies, not emission-reducing measures, that critics worry will water-down CAFE.

March 9, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

With SUV sales up, car sales down, and mileage driven up, the effects of lower gas prices could soon extend to land use, making suburban and exurban commuting more affordable. Economists have a term for these effects: demand response.

February 24, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal - The Outlook