[Bicycle Bob]

Now I know why overhangs are shorter these days - thanks. Attempts at regulation always distort technology. Britain used to have a lot of shipwrecks because the taxes on ships' hulls encouraged very unseaworthy shapes. Generations have had to cope with the BMC "A" engine's small bores to beat the tax man, and Mercedes had decades of engines designed for racing in their sedans. It sounds as if CAFE has done more to sell excess vehicle capacity than reduce fuel use.