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A reason cars keep getting larger is fuel-economy laws. > Expanding a car's footprint — the wheelbase multiplied by the track width — gives it a lower fuel-eco
by 13rac1 6y ago
A reason cars keep getting larger is fuel-economy laws.
> Expanding a car's footprint — the wheelbase multiplied by the track width — gives it a lower fuel-economy target to meet under the CAFE standards negotiated by automakers and regulators.
https://www.autonews.com/article/20160814/OEM11/308159946/is-cafe-making-cars-bigger https://www.autonews.com/article/20160814/OEM11/308159946/is...
- Wowfunhappy 6y agoHuh, so why do cars in Europe tend to be smaller, where I was under the impression that emission laws are stricter?
- ggsp 6y agoBecause the CAFE standards are a US thing
- ultrarunner 6y agoDuring diesel gate I did a lot of research, none of which I still have sadly. Diesel emissions regulations were generally slightly stricter in the U.S. I found that pretty surprising at the time.
- fmajid 6y agoThat may explain why diesel is so rare for consumer cars and SUVs in the US compared to Europe.
- claudex 6y agoThe cars are smaller than in the US but they are getting bigger. For example, the VW Golf is 0.6m longer between the first model and the last one.
- deeth_starr_v 6y agoThe obvious answer is buyer preference and cheaper gas. https://www.theonion.com/a-statement-followed-by-a-question-separated-by-a-colon-1819588961 https://www.theonion.com/a-statement-followed-by-a-question-...