New standards for motor vehicle efficiency will enter into effect in Mexico in 2013. The public consultations on the proposed new rules, which began in July, ended on Sep. 9. The new standards “will promote a more competitive automotive industry and the adoption of better technology, while consumers will be protected from the possibility of shortages and high fuel prices,” the environmental economics coordinator of the non-governmental Center for Sustainable Transportation, Jorge Macías, told Tierramérica.

The new standards to be passed by the Federal Commission for Regulatory Improvement stipulate, among other requirements, a fuel efficiency level of 14.9 km per liter of fuel for new vehicles, as compared to the current requirement of 11 km per liter.

Beginning in 2013, the standards will be implemented on a voluntary basis. It is estimated that by 2030, their adoption will result in the savings of 440 million barrels of oil.

In Mexico there are more than 24 million motor vehicles. In 2011, 900,000 new vehicles were manufactured, of which 80 percent were exported.