Saudi Arabia wants oil prices to remain low for a while. The reason is that they hope to avoid demand destruction. A period of low prices could set back attempts to switch away from oil. The reason for the could is that such an effect is not inevitable. It will only happen if (a) regulators ease up on efficiency requirements; (b) consumers believe that prices will stay low forever and start making long-term wasteful investments.
And courtesy of Severin Borenstein, it looks like all three are happening. Regulators are coming under fire, consumers are buying more light trucks, and average fuel efficiency is dropping.
I would not read too much into that last; these numbers are noisy. And I suspect that the EPA will hold firm to the new standards. (Current law requires the agency to review the 54.5 mpg-by-2025 mandate over 2016-18.)
But it is worrisome.
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