A group representing major automakers backed the Trump administration in a legal challenge to lower US fuel economy standards, which set a fleet-wide average of 34.9 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 under the Biden rules. The Transportation Department said the change would cut manufacturers’ average compliance costs by $1,289 per vehicle but increase lifetime fuel costs by more than $1,600.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Stellantis and other automakers, filed in support of the Trump administration’s fuel economy standards in the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals. California, New York and two dozen other states, cities and counties sued last month to challenge the rules.
The group said automakers need certainty and stability in the standards, and argued that setting them aside could affect capital investment planning, product development and validation for hundreds of vehicle models. The Transportation Department said the revised rule would increase US gasoline consumption through 2050 by 4.6%, or about 121 billion gallons, compared with the Biden rules, while also boosting new car sales. Environmental and consumer groups, as well as the American Petroleum Institute, also filed in the case.
