WASHINGTON (March 29)—The Bush administration is ordering auto makers to meet a corporate average fuel economy standard of 24 miles per gallon for light trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles by model year 2011. Currently, the light truck-SUV fleets must meet CAFE standards of 21.6 mpg in model year 2006 and 22.2 mpg in 2007.
The new rules do not apply to passenger cars, which already must meet a CAFE standard of 27.5 mpg. President Bush has called for a 75-percent reduction of Middle East oil imports by 2025.