The EPA green-lighted the higher ethanol levels last year, part of a push to meet mandates calling for the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022.

Besides expanding the St. Petersburg plant, Toyota plans to add a second production shift this summer that will allow it to stop sourcing Camrys from Japan.

The dealer group insists the technology to achieve the higher fuel standards will drive up the costs of cars, pushing millions of American consumers out of the market.

The ruling on its hybrid, which Honda plans to appeal, is spurring calls for the federal government to rein in the way the industry assigns fuel-economy estimates on the window stickers of new cars and trucks.

Researchers claim the aluminum/glass-fiber versions will be superior to today’s steel and iron rotors in thermal resistance, corrosion resistance and overall durability, and they will weigh less.

Talks with the German auto makers could yield “potential incentives” to spur the use of diesel powertrains, EPA’s Margo Oge tells WardsAuto.