.. be warned.. and  watch for some do gooder greenie to jump on the "original" idea for some more publicity down under.. .. its going to happen...  The bigger the fuel using car..the more tax.. a tax linked to vehicle fuel returns..
   Lets just hope it stops and says both in the USA and only on new vehicles... but it does come as another hurdle for  slow  reacting U.S. car manufacturers to get thru at a time of MASSIVE increased competition..  and MAYBE that is a good thing too....
In brief...... read on...[/i]

WASHINGTON February 28th, 2007. -- President George W. Bush's goal of raising U.S. fuel-economy standards by 4% a year through 2017 could cost the auto industry more than $100 billion, with General Motors Corp. shouldering $40 billion and Japanese automakers taking on far less. Under the plan, consumers also would pay $1,300 more for a car and almost $2,000 more for a truck.

The cost to Toyota Motor Co. would be $8.5 billion, while it would cost Honda Motor Co. $4 billion.

It also estimates how much the price of an average car or truck from various automakers might rise under the proposal. By 2017, the average truck's price would rise $1,923, with the average car costing $1,323 more.

Detroit industry officials have warned that higher fuel-economy standards could imperil their business by forcing them to use more expensive technology than they had planned. For example, automakers could be forced to install a gas-electric hybrid engine or a six -speed transmission instead of a five-speed.
    The Bush proposal equates to standards of 34 miles per gallon by 2017. It is far stiffer than a 2% increase for light trucks during the next four years, which is expected to cost the industry $6.2 billion. The goal was part of Bush's proposal to cut U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% in 10 years.