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Hello Desert_Rat,
Here is another theory:
“The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 required passenger car and light truck manufacturers to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. The CAFE standards are applied on a fleet-wide basis for each manufacturer; i.e., the fuel economy ratings for a manufacturer's entire line of passenger cars must average at least 27.5 mpg for the manufacturer to comply with the standard. If a manufacturer does not meet the standard, it is liable for a civil penalty of $5.00 for each 0.1 mpg its fleet falls below the standard, multiplied by the number of vehicles it produces. For example, if a manufacturer produces 2 million cars in a particular model year, and its CAFE falls 0.5 mpg below the standard, it would be liable for a civil penalty of $50 million.] For light trucks (including vans and sport utility vehicles) the 1993 CAFE standard was 20.3 mpg.”
It wasn’t until the CAFÉ standard became law that American auto manufacturers got serious about fuel economy, and that is also when the large displacement, slow turning V-8 disappeared faster than a banana at a monkey convention.
Just a thought...
Gadget
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