With U.S. emission standards continually becoming ever more stringent, Porsche has decided to take a stand. According to the company, new regulations forthcoming "would perversely require Porsche to become the fuel efficiency leader in the United States."
As you can imagine, making sports cars that achieve the industry standard of 42 miles per gallon by 2016 is not on the easy to do list and Porsche would like to avoid the situation if at all possible.
The company has taken the first steps of petitioning both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation and requesting a partial exemption for low-volume sports cars. The company cites two problems with the future regulations. First, sports cars are not as efficient as everyday vehicles. Low-volume makers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini focus solely on sports cars, which can't possibly meet the lofty mpg goals set.
Second, while many other automakers must meet a fleet average of 35 mpg, Porsche will be required to be closer to 42 mpg. Why? Fleet averages combine trucks (with a regulatory goal of 26.6 mpg by 2016) and cars (42 mpg by 2016). If an automaker sells a significant amount of trucks that beat the 26.6 number, it can offset some cars that fall below the listed goals. Needless to say, Porsche doesn't specialize in trucks and will be required to have a fleet average close to 42 mpg, which the company believes is unfair.
Porsche vehicles are widely regarded as some of the most efficient offerings in its class, but pushing for 42 mpg without crushing the heritage of the brand will be a daunting task.
source: autoblog
