Profit-Rich Pickups, SUVs May Catch Break in Trump Auto Review
- Action could smooth 2021 mileage requirements for light trucks
- Recent steps set up agencies for earlier changes than planned
Trump to Review Fuel-Economy Rules for Automakers
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A move under consideration by the Trump administration could ease tough fuel-efficiency standards set to take effect in 2021 on pickups, SUVs and other light trucks, the bulwark of U.S. auto industry sales and profits.
For the 2021 model year, light trucks must average roughly 33 miles per gallon to comply with the current standards, a gain of more than 6 percent from model year 2020, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s triple the pace of any annual gain for trucks starting in model year 2017, the first year of the current standards, which were finalized in 2012.