RE: Merc Hit With Efficiency Fine
Friday 9th January 2009
US authorities have released figures on fines levied against import manufacturers who fail to meet federal fuel efficiency standards – and Mercedes has once again topped the bill with an eye-watering $28.9 million charge.
Merc Hit With Efficiency Fine
Luxury car makers fined for fuel economy
Last year the Corporate Average Fuel Economy – or CAFE – fines (levied for ‘transgressions’ in the 2007 model year) totalled more than $37 million for six carmakers. VW forked out $4.5 million, Porsche and Maserati paid $1.2 million, while Ferrari coughed up $1.1 million.
Merc’s bust was the second largest CAFE fine on record, being narrowly beaten by the $30.3 million the company had to pay in 2007 for vehicles sold in 2006.
While the CAFE economy standards hit luxury carmakers hard, other importers like Honda are believed to be sitting on a healthy stack of credits as they already beat the mileage targets.
However unpopular the fines are, the CAFE system is reckoned to be a useful force in moving the industry in a ‘greener’ direction – with the 35mpg average standard required by 2020 pushing even luxury makers towards hybrid and electric vehicles.
Discussion
berkorich said:
$30m a year - a fraction of the cost to develop more energy efficient technologies. Let me guess, the authorities know this and are just dressing up environmentalism to swell their coffers. Perish the thought.....
Yes because with 150 million people $30 million is going to make a huge impact on their purse.Just shows how many big engined cars get sold in US by merc.
elster said:
berkorich said:
$30m a year - a fraction of the cost to develop more energy efficient technologies. Let me guess, the authorities know this and are just dressing up environmentalism to swell their coffers. Perish the thought.....
Yes because with 150 million people $30 million is going to make a huge impact on their purse.Just shows how many big engined cars get sold in US by merc.
davido140 said:
So this is for imported cars only, locally produced are exempt?
If this is the case I cant see how it makes the slightest bit of difference as the vast majority of cars in the US are american.
It wont....in reality the US isnt at all bothered with preserving the environment over making profit. If this is the case I cant see how it makes the slightest bit of difference as the vast majority of cars in the US are american.
btdk5 said:
davido140 said:
So this is for imported cars only, locally produced are exempt?
If this is the case I cant see how it makes the slightest bit of difference as the vast majority of cars in the US are american.
It wont....in reality the US isnt at all bothered with preserving the environment over making profit. If this is the case I cant see how it makes the slightest bit of difference as the vast majority of cars in the US are american.
Good god it's lucky there isn't any evidence of hypocricy on capitol hill.
No to Kyoto.
No to agreeing to set targets on climate change.
Yes to profiteering from setting ineffectual targets for companies to meet.
G eorge B ush
G ordon B rown
both have big wrinkly heads you'd like to punch, both have stupid voices and both have less of a grip on how to run a country than they do on reality.
Ok, I vote we find the factory that produces nigh on criminally incompetent world leaders, and we blow it up.
Argh wait I bet I can't say those names and that term in the same text on an internet forum because of course it'll flag up at GCHQ in between keeping a copy of my itmeised phone bill and checking who I send my emails to.
f*ck this.
No to Kyoto.
No to agreeing to set targets on climate change.
Yes to profiteering from setting ineffectual targets for companies to meet.
G eorge B ush
G ordon B rown
both have big wrinkly heads you'd like to punch, both have stupid voices and both have less of a grip on how to run a country than they do on reality.
Ok, I vote we find the factory that produces nigh on criminally incompetent world leaders, and we blow it up.
Argh wait I bet I can't say those names and that term in the same text on an internet forum because of course it'll flag up at GCHQ in between keeping a copy of my itmeised phone bill and checking who I send my emails to.
f*ck this.
Edited by H22K on Friday 9th January 12:09
i wonder what, comparatively, ferrari's 1.1m is compared to mercs fine when you consider volume of car sales? ferrari sell a lot less cars than merc so the fine "per car" would be a lot more - be interesting to see as a measure of just how far a company like ferrari have to go before they get close to the dizzy heights of 35mpg!
Frimley111R said:
elster said:
berkorich said:
$30m a year - a fraction of the cost to develop more energy efficient technologies. Let me guess, the authorities know this and are just dressing up environmentalism to swell their coffers. Perish the thought.....
Yes because with 150 million people $30 million is going to make a huge impact on their purse.Just shows how many big engined cars get sold in US by merc.
So 30 million really is a bit of a pointless exercise is what I am saying.
Interesting that Porsche pay less than VW, when one of the reasons for them buying VW was supposed to be reducing their environmental average.
Ah well. I reckon M-B could probably GIVE AWAY a Smart car to everyone who buys an S-class. That would improve their average mpg enough to remove the fine and possibly cover the cost of the Smarts
Ah well. I reckon M-B could probably GIVE AWAY a Smart car to everyone who buys an S-class. That would improve their average mpg enough to remove the fine and possibly cover the cost of the Smarts
Another reason to hate America, because with recent goings on, whatever happens over there soon happens here. And as it's been said 35 US MPG is 42 proper MPG, and who in their right mind would make all their cars do 42mpg? Stupid "green" arguments. America has the most money of any country in the world, why don't they just find a use for all this CO2 we are producing. We had a discussion in chemistry earlier; if anyone could make an engine that ran on CO2 then they would undoubtedly become the richest man or woman the world has ever seen, ever!
Since MB are not doing so well, they should refuse to pay the fine and threaten to withdraw from the US market completely thus creating unemployment and massive costs for the US.
Pretty sure they made a loss this year and their cars are piling up on US shores, complete withdrawl would certainly be an entertaining threat.
Pretty sure they made a loss this year and their cars are piling up on US shores, complete withdrawl would certainly be an entertaining threat.
dpbird90 said:
Another reason to hate America, because with recent goings on, whatever happens over there soon happens here. And as it's been said 35 US MPG is 42 proper MPG, and who in their right mind would make all their cars do 42mpg?
No, the average across the range weighted by sales (actually the mean of reciprocals) has to be 42mpg. At its simplest, as long as you sell a load of cars that do 50 mpg you can sell some that do 20.Wikipedia tells you how it's calculated: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAFE
Edited by carl_w on Friday 9th January 14:08
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