Obama finds easy target in auto firms | Chicago Tribune

"While our fuel standards haven't moved from 27.5 miles per gallon in two decades, both China and Japan have surpassed us, with Japanese cars now getting an average of 45 miles to the gallon," Obama said.

Huh? No they aren't. The Prius does, but that shouldn't be factored into any MPG average anyways, since it's a hybrid. That'd be like averaging in motorcycles or mopeds. And, as the article states, the 27.5MPG standard was set by the government (which Obama is a part of), not automakers, or the aliens which must have 45MPG cars.

I don't think 27.5 MPG is all too bad. It's the price per gallon which is. I'd rather see gas prices drop than MPG rise. Unless there is some free-to-upgrade motor, new cars having higher MPG ratings means nothing to those of us who won't be buying the new cars.

Obama should get to the bottom of why gas prices appear to be rising for no reason right now, and do something towards reversing that. Don't worry about MPG for cars which don't yet exist, and the majority of Americans won't be buying anytime soon after they do exist.