WASHINGTON (AP) - Automakers probably won't meet former President Clinton's goal of developing by 2004 an affordable "super car" that can go 80 miles on a gallon of gas, the National Research Council said Monday.

In its annual review of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, the council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, suggested the government and industry participants set new goals. That is already under way in the Bush administration.

Administration officials have proposed a cut in the program's budget by $39 million, or 28 percent. They say the partnership should focus on producing technologies that can apply to all types of vehicles instead of just an 80-mpg family sedan.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler Corp. have each produced concept cars. But they are too expensive for families to buy and run on diesel fuel that doesn't meet U.S. emissions standards.

The council said it's unlikely those barriers can be overcome in time to get an 80 mpg production prototype by 2004.

"That's a laudable goal, but it's clear from the concept cars that the componentry in those vehicles was way over the cost targets," said Craig Marks, chairman of the committee that wrote the report.

GM's Precept reached the 80 mpg goal while concept cars developed by the two other automakers' came close. All use a combination electric-diesel engines, more aerodynamic designs and lighter materials.

The report said the partnership has succeeded in getting some fuel efficient technologies into production. All three automakers plan to introduce light trucks with hybrid engines that run on gas and electricity in the next two to three years.

Bob Culver, executive director of the automakers' umbrella group for the partnership, agreed the 80 mpg goal is not within reach, but said it always was meant to be ambitious.

"It made us think out of the box for what we were going to research," he said. "By setting a goal like 80 mpg, it said we need to take a clean sheet of paper and look at everything in the vehicle."

Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and representatives of the Big Three automakers formed the partnership in 1993. Since then, the government has spent $814 million and the industry more than $980 million to develop a car that has three times better fuel economy than 1994 vehicles without sacrificing roominess, range, comfort or speed.

In the same time, there has been a 20 percent increase in the petroleum used on U.S. highways, and petroleum imports have increased, the committee said.

"One has to look at the program and say it has not delivered on its promise," said Jason Mark of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environment group. "In fact, we've been backsliding since this has been in place."