WASHINGTON — Four major automakers will not take a position on legal challenges to the Trump administration’s decision in March to dramatically weaken Obama-era fuel economy standards but want to weigh in on any court fix, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The Trump administration in March finalized the rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards to require 1.5 percent annual increases in efficiency through 2026. That is far weaker than the 5 percent annual increases in the discarded rules adopted under President Barack Obama.
Ford Motor Co., Volkswagen Group, Honda Motor Co. and BMW Group struck a voluntary agreement with California in July 2019 on vehicle emissions rules.
On Friday, the four automakers plan to ask a U.S. Appeals Court in Washington for permission to be heard in the court challenge “to ensure that any remedy imposed by this court is both appropriate and achievable,” according to a draft of the filing.
General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other automakers have sided with the Trump administration on the rollback.