Motoryzacja

Nissan has developed a new accelerator pedal that will help drivers develop a light-footed driving style that improves fuel economy. Nissan says the system, which it calls Eco pedal, can reduce fuel consumption 5% to 10%. It will be available next year on unspecified vehicles.

For the third straight year, Ford's Escape hybrid had the highest fuel efficiency of any light truck with 29.7 m.p.g., the government reported Wed-nesday. The average fuel economy for 2007 vehicles was 20.2 m.p.g., the same as 2006 vehicles, the Environmental Protection Agency said in an annual report that used new testing procedures.

WASHINGTON -- Tougher fuel economy standards enacted last year will reduce U.S. oil demand and make the country less reliant on foreign sources of energy, the head of the government's energy forecasting service said Tuesday.

The Bush administration bucked up the U.S. auto industry today in the fight over tougher fuel economy standards, telling Congress the president likely would veto an energy bill if it contains the Senate's fuel economy provisions.

Ford Motor Co.'s president of the Americas, Mark Fields, on Tuesday painted a grim picture of the U.S. auto market and said that Ford would be dedicated to making its future vehicles "meet or beat the competition in fuel economy" in the face of a struggling economy and $4-a-gallon gasoline, which has consumers seeking out affordable, fuel-efficient models.