Earlier this year, the Bush administration surprised a lot of green activists by actually surpassing the already challenging CAFE standards for 2011-2015. While automakers like Toyota, Ford, and GM are quietly going about the business of hitting those targets, BMW is speaking up and saying that the targets are unattainable. The German automaker has asked the Bush administration for an alternative plan that helps out the hardest hit automakers, and the new rules are a punch to the gut for the Bavarian Motor crew. While the corporate average for cars and trucks is 35.7 mpg and 28.6 mpg by 2015, BMW has to hit 37.7 mpg and 31.7 mpg, respectively. The reason for the disparity is the sliding scale the government used to account for differences in size in each automaker's lineup. Since BMW doesn't sell pickup trucks and it has plenty of small and midsize offerings, BMW has to hit higher fuel economy standards. What the CAFE numbers don't take into account is the fact that all BMWs are RWD, and there isn't a four cylinder engine to be found (in the U.S., yet). The Bush administration says its final fuel economy numbers will become public by the end of the year, and if companies like BMW don't get special dispensations, look for there to be smaller engines on the horizion, or bigger fines.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Koko @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:32AM
I'm glad BMW stepped up and spoke out. If it were any of Detroits big 3 people would ridicule them. Since it's BMW maybe some people will start to listen.
ranchdog @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:41AM
I suppose if push came to shove BMW could start selling the Mini as a BMW. Maybe they wouldn't even have to rebrand it. It's already a pretty premium vehicle and it would go a long way to bringing down overall mpg. Plus, there are way more BMW dealerships and right now it's hard to get a Mini outside of large metro areas.
mkM3 @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:27AM
Agreed.
BMW already pays the most fees of any auto manufacturer for CAFE violations. And I suspect they will continue to do so, passing on the cost (an ever increasing one, especially come 2015) to the consumer.
But, yes, there lineup is very much car-centric. A fleet of 3 series will be much more efficient than a fleet of pickups. The pickups have more utility, but obviously the CAFE laws can't mandate that you actually have to use the truck for utility purposes. To me the idea of breaking the regulations up between cars and light trucks is just flawed to the core. You end up with things like the Dodge Magnum (which is now RIP, yes) that is classified as a truck (true, yes, googlable). How does that work? The 5 series wagon is still classed as a car so clearly something has gone terribly wrong. Why not just have one number - make it the weighted average between the two we currently have - and use that? Why punish BMW for not selling pickups? Its flat out wrong and is totaly counter productive for what CAFE alleges to try and accomplish.
rypt @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:47AM
I fail to see what is not feasible, all they have to do is follow Honda and produce hydrogen cars :)
psarhjinian @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:53AM
BMW, if anything, deserves even more ridicule than the Detroit three: they have an entire fleet of vehicles in Europe than can approach these standards.
The problem? BMWs in North America are "image cars". Despite all the prevarication about handling, balance and the "Ultimate Driving Machine", it's really all about playing power games with Mercedes and Audi, and the first brand to sell a car that does 0-60 in 11 will be derided as a maker of chick cars, no matter how well appointed or dynamically superior. They could sell the 116d or 318i, but they won't blink until Audi or Mercedes does first.
This kind of attitude is acceptable for Lamborghini (I mean, really, a Lambo is basically a vehicular codpiece), but not a maker that prides itself on handling. It should be possible to enjoy a slow BMW.
simianspeedster @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:45PM
Psarhjinian is right on.
Consider, the original E30 M3 had a 192HP 4-cylinder and it was extremely fun to drive. Today's M3 has a 400+ HP V8.
The original M6 had a 256HP inline 6 and it was also a blast. Today's M6 has a 500HP V10.
This is an arms race, folks. Today's 1 series offers more power and is faster than BMW's fastest car even 15 years ago. This can't go on forever. The only reasonable options for BMW are:
1) Keep selling 4,000+ pound, 300+ HP cars, incur massive fines and pass the cost along to buyers. If they keep buying the more expensive cars and $5-6 per gallon gas, so be it. If not, BMW will have learned the true value of all that horsepower to their market base.
2) Offer a lighter, more balanced line of products (including diesels) and make them entertaining to drive even if they can't all rip off 0-60 in 5 seconds. Pointless (IMO) niche cars like the X6 might suffer, but there's plenty of fun to be had in a 200HP car that weighs 3,200 lbs. and has a good suspension and steering.
-SimianSpeedster
Joce03 @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:44PM
To SimianSpeedster: That's what I wanted to say, only you wrote it much better that I could have : ) Thank you!
And, nothing is stopping them from offering us a greater selection of engines like they do in Europe. At the current cost of fuel, smaller gasoline and diesel engines will sell. But, what do I know...
Yeah... @ Jul 7th 2008 5:14AM
Maybe BMW can STFU, they have PLENTY of cars that do better than that in Europe. So, like I said, if they can STFU and attach their version of Bluetec or AdBlue, they'll be fine. 120d anyone..45mpg anyone?
Mirko @ Jul 6th 2008 3:51PM
@psarhjinian
and the first brand to sell a car that does 0-60 in 11 will be derided as a maker of chick cars, no matter how well appointed or dynamically superior. They could sell the 116d or 318i, but they won't blink until Audi or Mercedes does first.
There is no 116d, the smallest diesel in the 1er is the 118d, and it does 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in 8.9 seconds.
I just had one as a rental car Friday and Saturday. Friday I drove 150 hm on an unrestricted piece of autobahn, pretty much all the time at top speed (210 kph). The trip computer displayed 7.2 l/100km (33 mpg US).
Saturday I drove 120 km over winding b-roads through with varying speed limits, lots of overtaking trucks. For that trip, the computer displayed 4.7 l/100km (50 mpg US).
blotto @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:38AM
Waaah.
BMW should just suck it up and start working on importing cars equipped with their diesel engines like the 1er that you see everywhere in Europe.
Disgruntled Goat @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:00AM
Exactly. Cry me a river BMW. Wasn't there some recent article about how a Diesel powered 5 Series got better mileage than a Prius? Oh yea, there was:
http://www.technoride.com/2008/03/bmw_diesel_beats_prius_in_econ.php
geo.stewart @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:08AM
well....
they COULD just buy Chrysler and get to count the Ram and have lower CAFE numbers and have all those 4-cyl Caliber and Avenger sales to offset the 6's in the BMW lineup....
ROFLMAO
rypt @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:03PM
Thing is, the petrol engines are still nicer in the 1 series than the diesel ones.
The Other Bob @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:42AM
If Caddy has to ditch it's V-8's, so should BMW.
DCragtop @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:47AM
Thanku
Frylock350 @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:25AM
Caddy is ditching V8s? Didn't they just get done making a V8 super-sedan that beats the M5? Don't you think BMW might want to answer that?
Avinash machado @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:42AM
But won't BMW and MINI be lumped together? MINI's are smaller, FWD and more fuel efficient and could help offset the bigger models from BMW.
Dude @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:50AM
MINI is probably counted into the tally, but I doubt makes much of a dent when half of your lineup consists of M edition supercars.
icu812ru469 @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:45AM
Boo hoo hoo... poor BMW and other German makes... boo hoo. Hey, suck it up now, or suck it up later. Dino fuel isn't going to last forever...
j-Keeler @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:55AM
"Dino fuel" will last us at least a hundred years if not more.
I do think it's rich that a Euro company is complaining about CAFE, it seems ironic to me that the nation that lectures us the most on how we do so much polluting has one of it's auto makers lecturing us on our stupid enviro standards that are too tight.