RLSH700

Actually, I don't think this is the case. GM also has their own version of MDS called Displacement on Demand or Active Fuel Management. Granted it doesn't appear to be as efficient as Chrysler's system since the Charger R/T and 300C gets better fuel mileage in tests done by the magazines than the Impala SS and Grand Prix GXP, infact I have read so tests where the SRT-8 models get better fuel mileage than both the Impala SS and Grand Prix GXP as crazy as that sounds. GM also has a line of 5 & 6 speed automatics they are planning on using on the G8.

The problem is GM has made a big mistake with their engine line-up. They have decided to get rid of their only V6 engine that is proven to be a reliable & one of their most fuel efficient V6 engines, the 3800. If the management at GM was smart, they would have taken the 60 degree V6 series and threw it out of the window, instead of using it for the basis for the "High Value" engine. The GM 60 degree engine has been a problem since day one and it has never been completely cured of its problems. They should have added the Active Fuel Management to the 3800 instead of making the 3.9L "High Value" engine. The 3.9L only gets mileage in the mid-20 and it can only get 29 mpg with Active Fuel Management; meanwhile, the 3800 ranges from 28-30 and doesn't have any of that technology. Also the "High Feature" engine (3.6L) is also not very efficient. Despite the tall gearing it receives in the Aura and G6, it can only muster 28mpg on the highway. That is pathetic considering how much technology is in that engine and the fact that it has a 6-speed automatic hooked up to it. Their plan to use this engine in the G8 is a stupid idea. OHC V6 engine are for light cars, heavier models should have modified OHV engines.

I hope this means that GM will keep some of their larger mid-sized FWD line-up (Impala, LaCrosse, etc.). This has been a very successful segment for them and leaving it would be a big mistake.

Also, Lutz is right, the fuel economy standards being raised to that level is unrealistic. I agree that cars should get better fuel mileage, but that should be a decision made by the consumers. The consumers make that change by buying the more fuel efficient cars, not the President and especially not the Supreme Court (they have no business getting into that anyways, that is something for congress to make a decision on, not the stupid courts). They also need to remember that their are limitations to the internal combustion engines. A 34mpg standard would be difficult to meet the markets demand. Most people like V6 and V8 engines, both of which cannot get 34mpg (except in the case of diesels), this means they would have to sell a ton of super efficient I4s to meet this standard which people will not want to purchase.