Dan Neil objects to incremental improvements in SUV mileage.
Strategic: This is the strongest objection. In a time of surpassing urgency — whether your pet issue is global warming, oil security or economic disruption — we are accepting, even rewarding relatively modest and incremental changes in efficiency that require no sacrifice, no change in consumer behavior at all. This isn’t going to get it done, people. The notion that American drivers can sally on as before, driving the miles and tonnage they do, and only the technology under the hood has to change, is complete bollocks. We will incrementalize ourselves to the crack of doom.
Neil points out that the manufacturers and their accomplices legislators in Washington are working to exempt trucks (and thereby large SUVs) from future fuel economy standards (35 mpg by 2020). I will go on to point out, that for example, as noted here this morning, 57% of GMs sales in North America are trucks.