Clearing the air

Emissions and fuel-efficiency issues emerge collectively as the top concern among engineers attending this year's SAE World Congress.

Hammered by new fuel-efficiency and air-quality regulations soon to become law in the U.S. and Europe, automotive engineers on their way to this month's SAE 2008 World Congress said these issues combined are more important than cost reduction to their work.

And the hand of government is expected to play an even greater role in shaping new vehicles early in the next decade. While 58% of those participating in our 14th annual SAE/DuPont Engineering survey said automotive design today is “somewhat influenced” by environmental legislation, 64% believe it will be “completely influenced” by regulations within five years.