Trump officials are pushing lower car prices during a tour of the Midwest auto industry
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., discusses Republican efforts to roll back the Biden-era electric car mandate on ‘Kudlow.’
Trump administration officials this week touted efforts to lower auto prices by rolling back regulations and emphasizing electric vehicles during a tour of the Midwest auto industry.
“In this administration, we are withdrawing what I would argue is illegal and unachievable in terms of fuel economy,” US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters Friday at the Jeep plant in Ohio, the Detroit News reported.
Duffy was referring to the aggressive emissions laws put in place during the Biden administration.
Duffy added, “Thirty-five miles to the gallon to get this new level of fuel economy … which, I think, will lower prices and allow the car companies to offer products that Americans want to buy.”
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The Ford Motor Bronco SUV was on display at the Detroit Auto Show press day in Detroit this week. (Reuters/Rebecca Cook/Reuters)
Duffy, along with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Lee Zeldin, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, visited the annual Detroit Auto Show to close out their two-day Midwestern swing on Saturday.
Zeldin said the government “must not force, require, mandate that the market move in a direction other than what the American consumer wants” months after President Donald Trump signed legislation last year eliminating the $7,500 EV tax credit and repealing California’s EV regulations.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he doesn’t want the government to say what kind of cars are made in the US. (Reuters/Brian Snyder/Reuters)
The law also canceled penalties imposed by the Biden administration on automakers that do not meet fuel efficiency standards.
“I don’t want the government to say what kind of cars we build,” said Duffy on Friday. “I want the freedom to innovate, and I want consumer demands to drive the types of cars that are produced.
Duffy added, “This is not a war on EVs at all. There are a lot of people who like them, and they think they’re great and they work for them, and they should be able to buy them. It’s just that we shouldn’t use government policy to encourage EV purchases, all the while punishing the combustion engine, which most Americans want to buy.”
The Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car is on display at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. (Reuters/Mark Blinch/Reuters)
US auto sales rose 2.4% despite higher prices for imported vehicles as the average price of a new car rose to $50,326.
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This comes at a time when American consumers are buying more expensive SUVs and trucks while dealers are offering fewer budget-friendly options, according to research firm Cox Automotive.
“Whatever the effects those costs may have on the various parts of the supply chain, they don’t really trickle down to the consumer,” Greer said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
