Even though they have somehow managed to come up with a sports car that gets 3 L/ 100 kms, Porsche still isn’t convinced that they will be able to meet the new, more stringent CAFE standards that will come into effect in 2016.
As a result, Porsche is petitioning the U.S Department of transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency to give them a partial exemption from the new rule.
The new fleet averages will be set at 35 mpg, or 6.7L/100 kms in our lingo, but Porsche will have to average 42 mpg (5.9L/100 kms). The reason is the fleet average combines both that of cars and trucks. Since Porsche doesn’t make trucks, it’s being forced to meet more stringent standards.
Porsche says that since it makes exclusively sports cars (which are low volume sellers to begin with) it’s hard to meet the new standards. Sports cars tend to chug gasoline. If they meet the new regulations, Porsche says it will tarnish its image as its customer base expects a certain level of performance.
No word yet from the other side, but rest assured, we will be watching this story very closely.
