Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has renewed calls on the US government to scale back plans to ensure manufacturers meet higher vehicle efficiency standards in coming years.
Discussing the proposals on Wednesday, Ford argued that hefty fines for missing government-set targets could severely dent the sector.
“This is alarming in and of itself, and threatens substantial economic hardship for Ford,” the company said in a public consultation filing.
“We see substantial risk of unprecedented civil penalties.”
Under the proposal, automakers would have to increasingly develop more fuel-efficient cars over the coming years to ensure their fleets average 58 miles per gallon by 2032.
Failing to do so would result in fines for vehicles that have not met the ever-stricter corporate average fuel economy standards, which would be set by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Having previously lobbied against the rule change alongside the likes of General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) and Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA, EPA:STLA), Ford cited estimates that it would have paid US$1 billion in fines by 2032.
This is part of estimations that automakers could be hit with collative fines worth over US$13 billion during the same period.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is among the few to have argued in favour of the proposals, which would ultimately encourage firms to produce less-emitting, or ever-electric, vehicles in the future.