Paper Details

TRB 90th Annual Meeting (January 23-27, 2011)

Event Number:	477
Event Title:	Advances in Transportation Energy Research
Event Date:	Jan 25 2011 9:30AM- 12:00PM
Event Location:	Hilton, International Center
Event Description:
Event Agenda:

Discrepancies in CAFE Standards, Fuel Economy Expectations, and Vehicle Marketing (11-3326)

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards distinguish between passenger cars and light-duty trucks, but their classifications do not coincide with the ways vehicle manufacturers market the automobiles. Passenger vehicles must comply with higher fuel-efficiency standards than light-duty trucks, but consumers' use of vehicles blurs the line between the categories. Consumers may choose a light-duty truck such as an SUV for its passenger-amenities, rather than its towing, cargo, or off-road capacity, particularly when advertising suggests such use. The objective of this paper was to examine and critique measures of effectiveness of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and to analyze the historical effectiveness of CAFE regulation with the marketing of passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. This analysis of the marketing of three vehicles (one passenger vehicle and two light-duty trucks) revealed how classification must consider the perception and intended use of vehicles.

Authors
     Ridout, John Stuart, Washington, D.C.
     Dunning, Anne E., University of Kansas