Really?

I would consider my respect for the environment reasonably sound. My view? Detroit has been an abysmal failure.

That said, how do you re-tool a bankrupt industry in one year? (I just read the new regs. will be 30.5 mpg average for standard passenger cars by 2011.)

...

Later update: More like "27 mpg" and who are they kidding anyway? They claim the current fleet is 26 mpg. My Fit barely accomplishes that.

We've had two Prii and one EV-1 electric car. The EV-1 was taken away by GM, smashed, and placed on a stack in the desert of Arizona. Otherwise, I would still be driving it. I was able to drive a performance sports car, charge up for $1 and laugh as I passed the gas station. HaHa!

The Prius, of course, meets and exceeds the 30.5 mpg requirement, at about 46 mpg average. (And in my case, "average" includes a daily commute up a lengthy hill, which reduces the overall mpg a bit from what a flatlander might get.)

Also, the Prius is a very good all around car. It's actually quite amazing all the stuff you can jam into and still travel. In comparison to what's available, you could call it the "perfect" car.

But is every car going to be Prius? We also have a Fit. My criterion in purchasing the Fit was "high mileage, reasonable quality, safe, cheap." We rejected some similar (but cheaper and higher mileage) vehicles based on safety ratings.

But, the Fit is averaging about 28 mph. Unlike the Prius, it doesn't actually keep track of mpg on its own, so my numbers are a bit of an estimate. I think that's close, though. The Fit would probably pass the 30.5 threshold for EPA purposes. Still, the Fit is not precisely in the mainstream market -- and is certainly on the "higher end" mileage-wise of both Honda's fleet and the fleet of standard passenger vehicles nationwide.

I don't know what the national "fleet" of vehicles is averaging, but the bigger sedans we have had averaged about 17 mpg on our normal daily commute. So, are you kidding me? Is Detroit going to find a way to nearly double the mileage on these vehicles?

No chance.

Although, I guess they could just buy Prii and rebrand them. Snazzier paint job, more doo-dads inside. After all, they have a 15 mpg margin that could squandered on "luxury" add-ons. And a big spoiler on the back.