The head of Chrysler and Fiat says the U.S. auto industry can meet tough new fuel efficiency requirements. The tentative proposal will more than double the miles per gallon average for cars by the year 2025.
Federal officials, automakers, and the UAW agreed to raise the average miles per gallon to 54-and-a-half within the next 14 years. Right now, the average is 25 miles per gallon. Critics say the new goal may not be technically feasible. But Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne thinks it is:
"The powertrain guys... are an incredible resource, an incredible talent. Let them do their job."
But Marchionne is a skeptic when it comes to the role electric cars will play in meeting the new requirement. He thinks it will be easier and cheaper to dramatically improve gasoline engines and transmissions.
