Quote Originally Posted by Tachikaze
Under Ford and Carter, any auto maker who wanted to sell motor vehicles in the US was regulated by a high CAFE standard. This standard set the average fuel mileage rating for all of a corporation's motor vehicles. The standard was intended to rise periodically and eventually reach over 40 MPG. Under Carter, the standard reached its zenith. The companies were able to comply up to the point it reached, but complained like mad, and the administrations after Carter have lowered the standard so that SUVs could be marketed freely.
What's the problem?

If gas is cheap and plentiful, why force people into vehicles that they don't want to use? Now that gasoline is getting more expensive, people are buying less SUVs and more efficiency cars and even hybrids. No amount of government regulations and subsidies (hand outs) were going to make people buy hybrids. High gas prices are though. Yay free markets.