It seems like the Car Talk brothers don't quite have the political capital they thought they did as it looks like both Senate and House fuel-economy bills aren't gaining that much traction. Automakers clearly oppose just about any regulation, saying it'll make them harder to compete. Even with a Democratic congress there are a lot of challenges to getting either bill to pass.
The Senate plan involved raising CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020, Bush supports 34 mpg by 2017 and the Big 3 would much prefer 32-35 mpg by 2022. Current standards are 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks, though fuel economy has actually been falling since 1987. Of course, the Hybrid Escalade will save us all. [Cox via AAS]
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