Here's the ticket.
What would work, and would be fair, would be to impose a tax surcharge of say 5% on any NEW car or truck that was below a sliding scale of gas mileages.
The consumer would pay the tax, not the automaker.
The mpg target would increase with each passing model year.
The tax must be specifically earmarked towards reducing carbon emissions.
( watch this carefully...)
Thus, deep-pocketed consumers could still buy the fat cars they desire, yet the bulk of budget conscious americans would think twice before buying that gas guzzler.
How to make this fair against foriegn cars? give foreign cars a higher standard, based upon what is their average gas mpg.
How to be fair to the poor working class??? the tax would only apply to NEW CARS ONLY.
QED.