Trump wants tiny Japanese-style cars for US even as he cuts mpg goals

In a surprising move, President Trump has expressed a keen interest in introducing tiny Japanese Kei cars to the U.S. market, even as his administration announces significant rollbacks of fuel economy standards. The announcement came during a gathering with automotive executives, where the president instructed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to facilitate the legality of these compact vehicles on American roads. This development marks a stark contrast to the fuel economy standards set during the Obama administration, which aimed to raise the average corporate fleet fuel economy to 50.4 miles per gallon (mpg). However, these ambitious goals faced opposition from automakers, leading to the first Trump administration's decision to replace them with much weaker targets of just 40.4 mpg by 2026. With the transition to the Biden administration, there was a brief period of renewed optimism for stricter regulations, pushing for a greater number of electric vehicles. Yet, the recent return of Trump to power has seen a quick dismantling of these standards. By the end of January, Secretary Duffy criticized the Biden-era regulations for driving up car prices, leading to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) dismissal of these fuel economy regulations, citing a burdensome regulatory environment. This summer, further changes emerged as a Republican-controlled legislative body removed incentives for electric vehicles from tax policies. The new benchmarks set for automakers require a fleet average of just 34.5 mpg by model year 2031, significantly lower than the original targets proposed by both the Biden and Obama administrations. While the Department of Transportation claims that this will reduce car prices by over $900, critics argue that it overlooks the long-term costs associated with increased fuel consumption from less efficient vehicles.