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So now the Government is going to tell you what kind of car you can drive
The nanny state continues.
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New fuel rules could limit luxury cars in Canada
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Gas-guzzling luxury cars and big SUVs might be withheld from the Canadian market in coming years if Ottawa makes good on threats to impose fuel-efficiency standards, auto industry representatives say.
They say it's technically impossible to redesign cars in time to meet the fuel-efficiency target set out in Canada's Kyoto implementation plan, so withholding some models could be the only alternative. That could have a major impact on the profits of car dealers and the industry, they say.
Environment Minister Stephane Dion has warned that Ottawa may impose fuel-efficiency regulations if the industry doesn't voluntarily achieve a 25 per cent improvement by 2010.
Dion and Transport Minister Jean Lapierre visited California this week to learn about its legislation limiting emissions from cars. There have been suggestions Canada could copy the California approach.
Car makers have challenged the California legislation in court but if it stands, residents of the state could face a depleted lineup of new models, said Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
"It's conceivable that some models would not be offered in that market. The same would hold true for Canada."
Pam McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for General Motors of Canada, agrees.
"That's the issue exactly," she said. "And it's not a General Motors issue, it's an industry issue.
"There has to be balance between what the consumer needs as far as transportation and what's good for the environment and what meets safety regulations, it's multi-faceted."
She drew an analogy to a government that ordered dressmakers to stop making large sizes because it was concerned about obesity: "Only make small sizes and force the public to fit into them and that'll fix the problem."
Dennis Desrosiers, an independent auto industry analyst, said Canadians are highly responsible about their transportation, owning fewer cars per licensed driver than Americans, and not driving them nearly as much.
He said it wouldn't be possible to meet Ottawa's target without harshly punishing consumers.
If the popular models weren't available, people would keep their cars longer, he predicted. That would harm the environment because older cars are less fuel-efficient than new ones, Desrosiers said.
"They would buy less, you'd have car dealers going out of business, you produce fewer vehicles - the negative implications for the economy here are quite severe."
He said the target in the Kyoto implementation plan could only be achieved by withholding all luxury cars, minivans and pickup trucks from the market.
Last year new cars in Canada have an estimated average fuel efficiency of 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres, compared with 8.5 litres per 100 km a decade ago. There has been a shift to SUVs and vans in the same period.
Environmentalists say that most of the research and development in the industry has been devoted to increasing power and acceleration rather than improving fuel efficiency.
They say the voluntary approach hasn't worked and legislated standards are overdue.
Nantais said car makers are serious about improving fuel efficiency and discussions with the government are continuing |
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| quote: | Originally posted by jester
Everything in this country is illegal. |
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill
"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law" - Winston Churchill
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Nathan Fake - Outhouse (Valentino Kanzyani Remix) 
I like those.
