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Forget MPG, just pull into a gas station with your Tesla Roadster and smile....
(Photo by Jurvetson. CC 2.)

Hm. While Toyota has been pushing for less stringent CAFE standards (and taking a beating for it), a group that Toyota is part of, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, has told Congress that the stronger 35 mpg is acceptable. The twist is that they want "more time" than is being talked about to meet that goal (so, no 2020 implementation). As AIAM president Mike Stanton told Automotive News, 35 mpg CAFE is coming, so "Why beat your head up against the wall?"

AIAM is for asking the deadline, should it be 35 mpg, to be pushed back by "several years." Automotive News says that the AIAM's call "adds to the likelihood that Congress will pass a tough fuel economy measure this year." The Auto Alliance, which also represents Toyota, is calling for implementation of weaker CAFE standard that would put cars and trucks into two categories and calls for a 32 mpg average by 2022. Talk about covering your bases.

[Source: Harry Stoffer, Automotive News]