Automakers Developing Significantly Lighter Trucks to Meet New Fuel Economy Standards
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Reuters is reporting that major automakers are tirelessly working on reducing the weight of future generation pickup trucks, in order to meet stricter fuel economy standards without sacrificing key abilities, such as power, payload capacity or towing capability.
Until 2016, when the new mandates take effect, manufacturers must reach an average fleet economy of 35.5 mpg (6.63 lt/100 km), while light trucks will have to return around 30 mpg or 7.84 lt/100 km. Given that around 50 per cent of vehicles sold in the U.S. in the first 11 months of the year were light trucks, it’s clear that the likes of Ford and GM have to act fast.
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At the 2010 Paris Motor Show in early September, General Motors unveiled a near-production version of the Chevrolet Cruze five-door hatchback. Now, the Detroit automaker has registered trademark filings with the European patent office revealing the shape and details of the actual production model which is set to reach dealerships in Europe as a Chevrolet and in Australia as a Holden, in mid 2011.
Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. are certainly on a roll after overtaking Toyota as the biggest Asian carmaker in Europe and have no plans of stopping any time soon. According to a report citing Slovak news agency TASR, Kia wants to begin production of a new model at its European plant in 2012.
“We launched two new models this year and we want to launch a new model in 2012”, In-Kyu Bae, head of Kia Motors Slovakia told reporters, after a meeting with Prime Minister Iveta Radicova.
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