Obama to unveil new fuel-economy standards tomorrow, calls for 35 mpg by 2016

Sources say that the Obama administration is ready to unveil a new fuel-efficiency policy that will resolve a dispute between California and the U.S. government over emissions.

The new proposal will run from 2012 to 2015 and will maintain a single national standard for fuel-economy. It will also give automakers flexibility for meeting the new standards.

Sources familiar with the plan say that the strategy calls for raising the fuel-economy standards of cars and trucks to 35 mpg by 2016.

Two months ago, the government said fuel-economy standards for U.S. light vehicles would increase 8 percent to an average of 27.3 mpg by 2011, costing the auto industry $1.45 billion to make the necessary changes.

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How To: Scandinavian Flick - Feature

Beginning in the 1960s, Scandinavian rally-car drivers popularized a technique that became known as the “Scandinavian flick.” The goal is to briefly unbalance the car enough to produce a spectacular drift. It’s done by inducing oversteer—the sliding of rear wheels—that in turn will carry the vehicle through a corner and scrub off speed in the process. The point of the technique, aside from looking cool, is to allow better car control by “steering” the car with the throttle. So here’s our Arthur Murray–inspired guide to the seven-step Scandinavian flick. One last thing, a mandatory mommy warning: It’s not a good idea for beginners to do this on public streets or in a nursing-home parking lot.

  

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