Trump urged to revise auto emissions rules

A major auto trade group on Thursday urged President-elect Donald Trump's transition team to revise fuel efficiency mandates that could cost them billions of dollars and called for a full-scale review of the Obama administration's autonomous vehicle policies.

In an eight-page letter Thursday to Trump's transition team made public and reported earlier by Reuters, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which presents major automakers including General Motors, Ford and Toyota, urged the incoming Trump White House to find 'a pathway forward” on setting final fuel efficiency standards through 2025, calling on the next administration to 'harmonize and adjust” the rules.

The letter also urges Trump to create a presidential advisory committee to 'coordinate auto sector regulators” and said the panel could suggest a new approach to auto regulations.

Automakers told Trump's team in the letter 'technology and change are swamping the regulatory capacity to manage our emerging reality. Reform is imperative.”

Major automakers have raised concerns about the Obama administration's ambitious targets for cutting vehicle greenhouse gas emissions through 2025, arguing low gasoline prices and weak demand for electric vehicles may require significant revisions to the rules.

The automakers' letter urges the Trump administration to conduct a 'comprehensive regulatory review” of all regulations and actions since Sept. 1, including the Obama administration's new guidance on self-driving vehicles.

In September, the Obama administration said it was considering seeking the power to review and approve technology for self-driving cars before they hit the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must decide by April 2018 whether the 2022 through 2025 model year requirements for fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions are feasible or should be changed.