Obama to announce new car efficiency standards

US President Barack Obama will later this week unveil new fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and light trucks for the 2017-2025 period, the White House said Wednesday.

The program will build on initiatives unveiled in May 2009 that were aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for new cars and trucks - the first such policy at the national level.

On Friday, Obama will "announce the next round of a coordinated national program to improve fuel efficiency for model years 2017-2025 cars and light-duty trucks," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

The program "will result in significant cost savings for consumers at the pump, dramatically reduce oil consumption, cut pollution and create jobs," Carney said.

High gasoline prices drove up US consumer inflation earlier this year but eased somewhat in June, diving 6.8 percent from May, according to official data.

By 2016, the fleet average fuel consumption for US vehicles will be raised to 35.5 miles per gallon (15.44 kilometers per liter) from the 25 miles per gallon seen in 2009.

Most passenger cars must reach 39 miles per gallon by 2016 and light trucks must satisfy fuel consumption regulations of 30 miles per gallon.