• The Detroit Bureau, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 9:30 AM

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is launching a radio campaign this week attacking the White House's proposed increase in federal fuel economy standards. The 60-second commercials argue that boosting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy to 56.2 mpg in 2025 could put a lid on the auto industry's fragile recovery and force Americans out of the big cars and trucks they love and into small, limited-use electric vehicles.

Although a senior Ford official last week conceded that mileage is what consumers want these days as gasoline prices stay at record highs, the alliance ads talk jobs, another big issue. A recent study by the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research said that the MPG proposal could add up to $10,000 to the price for a typical American auto, cutting auto sales and thus costing hundreds of thousands of auto industry jobs in the U.S. The industry ads launch today in seven markets, including Michigan and Washington, D.C.

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