[Big Dave]

I do not look for any relief from safety regs. There are people in the US that seriously don't think an armored HMMV is safe enough. So cars will not get lighter in the near future.

I do not look for relief from the ULSD diesel fuel requirements of 15 ppm. This in spite of the fact that the EPA reported to Congress in 2005 that air quality in the US is the best in living memory. So diesel fuel will continue to be 80 cents a gallon higher in price than gasoline.

I do not look for relief from the PM 2.5 requirements of Tier II Bin5. So the efficiency-robbing barrier filters are here to stay. Add on the CA diesel ban and the diesel car may be completely dead in the US. How good can gas engine efficiency get? Probably not a lot morethan what it is today.

So expecting more from manufacturers is simply not realistic.