Greater fuel efficiency:- The 1985 model year culminated GM's push to meet government-mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. To achieve this, the company significantly downsized its cars and implemented more fuel-efficient engines.
* The average weight of a GM car dropped by over 1,000 pounds compared to a decade prior spending $1.1 billion to shrink the length and weight of its 1977 models (TIME, Sept. 13). Retooling for the more drastic changes needed by 1985 cost several times that.
* Many vehicles shifted from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive, a more efficient design.
*Reduced tailpipe emissions: Catalytic converters, which GM first installed on its 1975 models, had become a standard feature. These devices used a combination of unleaded fuel, oxygen sensors, and on-board computers to change exhaust pollutants into less harmful compounds.
Shift to smaller engines:- *To increase fuel economy, GM dramatically altered its engine lineup.
*The V-8 engine, which powered 77% of GM's cars in the 1970s, was essentially discontinued for the 1985 model year. Instead, four-cylinder engines powered roughly two-thirds of the 1985 lineup. Diesel engines, which offered greater fuel efficiency, were also featured in a portion of GM's fleet.
Environmental challenges for GM in 1985:- * EPA emissions recall: Despite its technological advancements, GM failed to meet emissions regulations for some 1985 models. In 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the rare step of ordering a recall of nearly half a million 1985 GM cars and trucks for having excessive emissions.
Time magazine’s report:- https://time.com/archive/6852738/autos-a-look-at-the-cars-of-1985/
Long before President Carter proposed taxes on gasoline and the sales price of big cars, Detroit's auto designers knew they were in troubl
General Motors battle for safety and environment compliance with Governmental Acts detailed from 1973 through 1988 in various categories:- https://www.autonews.com/article/20080914/OEM/309149832/gm-fought-safety-emissions-rules-but-then-invented-ways-to-comply/#:~:text=The%20mechanical%20engineers%20made%20fun,Q1%202025%20Haig%20Report%C2%AE
When Dick Klimisch began working at General Motors in 1967, other GM engineers were trying to cut vehicle tailpipe pollution through mechani
