Policy update
Mexico's LDV CO2 and fuel economy standards
On June 21, 2013, the Mexican government published final standards regulating CO2 emissions and the fuel economy equivalent for new passenger vehicles, including cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. The final standard will apply to vehicle model years 2014 through 2016. Automakers may take advantage of early action credits for model years 2012 and 2013. Taking into account all annual credits but not credit banking and trading, the standard is expected to result in a new car fleet average fuel economy of 14.6 km/L in 2016.
Key elements of the regulation
The standards regulate CO2 emissions in grams per kilometer, providing the equivalent regulatory metrics for fuel economy in km/L. The standard uses footprint (defined as the area between the four wheels of the vehicle in m2) based curves similar to those in the United States and Canadian regulations, providing goals for model years 2012 through 2016, and automakers must submit data for each model year. The standards require automakers to meet a single sales-weighted fleet average over the period of 2014 to 2016, and allow credits generated in 2012 and 2013 to be used towards compliance. Manufacturers may also pool compliance for additional flexibility.
Separate compliance curves are provided for passenger cars and light trucks (SUVs, minivans, pickups). The standards are based upon the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) curves, although the stringency of the curves is reduced by 1% for cars and 2% for light trucks. The resulting regulatory curves would lead to a fleet average fuel economy for 2016 of 14.9 km/L, if average vehicle size and car/truck ratios remain constant. Full application of annual credits reduce the 2016 fleet average goal to 14.6 km/L. Early action credits and credit banking could lead to compliance in 2016 with a lower overall fleet average fuel economy.
The new standards apply to all manufacturers that sell new light-duty vehicles with gross vehicle weights up to 3,857 kg (8,500 lbs) with the exception of those manufacturers that sell less than 500 total vehicles per model year.
For additional detail, download the full policy update here [.pdf].
