Feds Propose new Auto standards

The Federal Government wants your SUV to get better gas mileage.

The Bush administration has announced new rules that will increase slightly the fuel economy standards for minivans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles starting in 2008, but critics say the regulations are riddled with loopholes that will encourage automakers to keep building large gas- guzzling vehicles.

The new rules -- the first major rewrite of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE standards since they were created in the 1970s -- will replace the current requirement that automakers meet a single average mileage standard for their entire fleet of light trucks with a new system that divides vehicles into six classes based on their size.

For example, a small SUV such as the Honda CRV will be required to get 28. 4 miles per gallon, but a large pickup such as a Dodge Ram will have to get only 21.3 miles per gallon.