Is CAFE Making Cars Bigger?

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Washington DC August 14, 2016; The AIADA First Up Newsletter reported that The tough fuel-economy standards that took effect in 2012 are getting tougher every year, reports Automotive News. So why are cars getting bigger? The average new vehicle's "footprint"–the rectangle formed by its wheelbase and track width–hit a record 49.9 square feet in the 2015 model year, according to the EPA, up by about 1 square foot, or 2 percent, since the agency been tracking the measure in 2008. The EPA says that growth mostly reflects shifting sales toward trucks and SUVs. And to be sure, cars and trucks have been growing for decades to reflect the visual tastes of designers, the safety concerns of engineers and consumer desire for more interior space. But these days, analysts say, automakers have an added incentive to make their cars a little bit larger: more forgiving fuel economy targets. For more on how CAFE targets are driving bigger cars, click here.