President
Obama announced a historic agreement with thirteen major automakers to pursue
the next phase in the Administration’s national vehicle program, increasing
fuel economy to 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. The
President was joined by Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar/Land Rover, Kia,
Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, and Volvo—which together account for over
90% of all vehicles sold in the United States—as well as the United Auto Workers
(UAW), and the State of California, who were integral to developing this
agreement.

“This
agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we’ve
ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” says President
Obama. “Most of the companies here today were part of an agreement we reached
two years ago to raise the fuel efficiency of their cars over the next five
years. We’ve set an aggressive target and the companies are stepping up to the
plate. By 2025, the average fuel economy of their vehicles will nearly double
to almost 55 mpg.”

Building
on the Obama administration’s agreement for Model Years 2012-2016 vehicles,
which will raise fuel efficiency to 35.5 mpg and begin saving families money at
the pump this year, the next round of standards will require performance equivalent
to 54.5 mpg or 163 grams/mile of carbon dioxide for cars and light-duty trucks
by Model Year 2025. Achieving the goals of this historic agreement will rely on
innovative technologies and manufacturing that will spur economic growth and
create high-quality domestic jobs in cutting edge industries across America.

These
programs, combined with the model year 2011 light truck standard, represent the
first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in three decades and span
Model Years 2011 to 2025. Together, they will save American families $1.7
trillion dollars in fuel costs, and by 2025 result in an average fuel savings
of over $8,000 per vehicle. Additionally, these programs will cut the oil we
consume, saving a total of 12 billion barrels of oil, and by 2025 reduce oil
consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day—as much as half of the oil we import
from OPEC every day.

The
standards also curb carbon pollution, cutting more than 6 billion metric tons
of greenhouse gas over the life of the program—more than the amount of carbon
dioxide emitted by the United
States last year.

Environmental Protection
Agency,
www.epa.gov