A cuppa CAFE
One of those ‘Only in America’ news items in the Financial Times today notes that “Americans will be intrigued – and the rest of the world utterly perplexed – by an award to be handed out on Wednesday in Detroit for the car model with the finest cup holders.”
The FT observes:
Americans consume vast amounts of coffee and soft drinks in their vehicles, especially on their commute to work. Car-makers have been increasingly challenged to design holders that secure a Starbucks venti or one of the ever-bigger soft drink bottles through sharp turns and abrupt stops.
As Al Gore notes on p.272 in his book An Inconvenient Truth, the USA is dead last in auto fuel efficiency — below 25 mpg vs. 45 mpg in the EU and even greater than that in Japan. Ironically, China, a late entry as an auto manufacturing supplier, recently raised standards that now far exceeds the USA’s.
This means that Detroit cannot sell cars made in America to China because we don’t meet their environmental standards.
The American Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE ) standards are intended to help auto companies succeed. But it’s the companies that are building fuel-efficient cars that are doing well, while doing good.
Never mind, as we drive our SUV’s down the road to the future, today’s awards will help ensure that American’s can safely guzzle soda as they guzzle gas. Priorities. Priorities.
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