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The major difference in the final rule is that large SUVs - such as the Hummer, produced as a joint venture between GM and AM General - will be covered.

The final rule also eliminates a proposal to create six categories of light trucks based on size that critics said would have led to automakers gaming the system.

Instead, the rule offers continuous fuel-economy standards based on the vehicle's footprint.

The new CAFE standard leaves the marketplace free to decide what kinds of vehicles should be produced, rather than dictating a mix of vehicles to automakers, the government said in its final rule.

The government said the new rule also minimizes the adverse safety impact that resulted from loopholes in current rules, such as giving automakers incentives to design passenger cars to be classified as light trucks, which can increase rollover risks.

The final rule doesn't increase the fuel-economy standard beyond what was proposed in August, even though higher projected fuel costs would make tougher standards economical.

The Transportation Department estimated that the cost of complying with the rule would be $6.7 billion and the benefits would be $8.1 billion.

For the 2011 model year, it would...

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