Manufacturers were required to sell small cars, and to discourage the purchase of large cars. At the time CAFE was introduced, one of the most popular cars was the station wagon. They were so popular that it would be impossible to meet CAFE standards if station wagons continued to be sold at the then current rates. There were other effects as well, not least of which was the escalation of anti-nuclear rhetoric. To this day, decades after the OPEC embargo, the Department Opposed to Energy waxes eloquent about efficiency and expensive, ineffectual, solar toys.
Some people are content only when they're making life miserable for others.
In the name of protecting Mother Earth from global warming, diplomats from throughout the world met Kyoto, Japan, in December to decide how much carbon dioxide various countries may produce every year. Basically, this plan is to constrain how much fuel various countries may burn every year. Indeed they were, for they sold the US to the lowest bidder. Clinton shares our relief that he will not be President in 2008 when this program comes to fruition. Energy is not CO2 and conversely.