Automakers: Gas-Smart Cars Could Hurt Sales

Morning Edition, June 19, 2007 · U.S. automakers say the types of vehicles that will get more miles per gallon of gas have features that consumers tend to shun, including four-cylinder engines and stick shifts. The Senate is set to debate new energy legislation, and a major issue is how much to raise fuel economy standards for cars and trucks in order to fight climate change.

A new bill's sponsors are proposing a requirement that the auto industry make vehicles that get an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

ECONOMY

by Elizabeth Shogren

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