Automakers Support Trump-Proposed Rollback of Fuel Economy Rules, Seek Modifications

[Para 1: The Lead] Automakers, through the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, have endorsed the Trump administration's proposal to significantly reduce fuel economy standards. The group supports the drastic reduction in efficiency requirements but advocates for retaining credit trading mechanisms and reconsidering vehicle reclassification to maintain competitive equity in the automotive market. [Para 2-3: Supporting details & Context] The proposal, which was published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aims to eliminate credit trading among automakers from 2028 onward and reclassifies many vehicles as cars rather than trucks, impacting compliance standards. Automakers, including General Motors, Toyota, and Ford, are requesting that NHTSA maintain credits for air conditioning efficiency and other fuel-saving technologies. NHTSA's proposal, which would reduce 2022 fuel economy standards and increase them by 0.25% to 0.5% annually through 2031, is estimated to reduce average upfront vehicle costs by $930 but increase fuel consumption by 100 billion gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by about 5% over 2050, according to NHTSA estimates.