Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
It's weird because during the 70's gas crises countries limited speed, and crippled vehicles in the name of conservation. Nowadays we have 400HP giant grocery getters, and very little regulatory action. Governments could insist vehicles get built to a better standard, but do not. So consumers take it as assign it's not important.
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Most of those regulations are still there, and the emissions standards which choked the V8s of the 70s are much higher than ever. But technology and engineering improvements means that modern ICE drivetrains can meet those regulations, have pretty good fuel efficiency and still continue to get more powerful. And it's not just vehicles getting bigger that's causing the weight gains, but also improved passive and active safety features and luxury items.