Carmaker, extraordinaire...guess what else is up their sleeves.

Did you know that in the U.S. new regulations will require that by 2016 the average MPG for carmakers entire fleet is changed from 27 MPG (current) to 35.5 MPG? And in the year 2025 it will be up to 62?
Whoa, America, we've got some changes to make. Now, I realize that they're saying "fleetwide" which means the average of all of the cars that one automaker creates must have an average of 35.5 MPG. But that really means that you can't just have gas-guzzlers hanging around your lot anymore, they'll throw off the curve. Unless you create 8 smart cars in the line...yikes.
I don't know what Ford, Dodge, Toyota and Honda are going to do about these changes (all of them have some serious gas chugging pick up trucks) but I do know what Hyundai has already done. They have opened 2 of their very own steel plants, with one more in the works.

I don't know what Ford, Dodge, Toyota and Honda are going to do about these changes (all of them have some serious gas chugging pick up trucks) but I do know what Hyundai has already done. They have opened 2 of their very own steel plants, with one more in the works.

“We’re the only car company that has its own steel plant,” said John Krafcik, chief executive of Hyundai Motor America. “We recognized a few years back that the key to meeting these incredible fuel efficiency targets — and keeping cars that are fun to drive and making them affordable — is great, lightweight, low-cost, structurally sound steel, which we weren’t able to get from the handful of steel suppliers in the industry who supply other automakers. So we boldly decided to turn our backs on convention and build our own steel plant.”

I guess Henry Ford knew best.

Read the full article, by Joan Muller, here.