There's also the ever-increasing safety requirements, which have resulted in (among other things) substantially heavier cars over the last few decades. Heavier

There's also the ever-increasing safety requirements, which have resulted in (among other things) substantially heavier cars over the last few decades. Heavier cars require more power, which creates a bit of a catch-22 when it comes to reducing emissions and improving efficiency. These safety requirements aren't even necessarily a straight up win for overall safety: the increased height of car beltlines reduces visibility and the increased vehicle weight (and resulting impact force) can worsen accidents involving non-vehicular objects. An unregulated car industry is certainly not the solution (as proven by these diesel tests among many other examples), but overly strict regulation may only serve to improve regulatory avoidance by manufacturers. Sane, obtainable goals must be set, and both sides need to be involved in keeping things honest. It's absurd that these regulations were set without ensuring that they could reasonably be met and that they were actually being met. It reflects poorly not only on VW and the others, but also on the EPA and their counterparts.