GMAT_2010_2707 wrote:
Is the issue in option E only with 'than presently on the road'?
Is 'in research for developing cars' in option E grammatically correct?

Well !! E has 2 major problems( the 3rd one is not actually a problem)

1. those is missing - which is a demonstrative pronoun. Here the comparison is between cars with road.
2. presently is an adverb of time. It have to modify an action.
3. This is quiet subtle difference and varies from writer to writer.
- an infitives is used for an action that is abstract, incomplete, going to take place in future.
- a gerund is used for an complete,concrete action.
So "to develop" is better than "developing" :


Hope this helps !!

Domestic automobile manufacturers have invested millions of dollars into research to develop cars more gasoline-efficient even than presently on the road.

(A) into research to develop cars more gasoline-efficient even than presently on the road

(B) into research for developing even more gasoline-efficient cars on the road than at present
(C) for research for cars to be developed that are more gasoline-efficient even than presently on the road
(D) in research to develop cars even more gasoline-efficient than those at present on the road
(E) in research for developing cars that are even more gasoline-efficient than presently on the road

Explanation:
A: Incorrect [incorrect idiom: invest into, awkward construction: ...cars more gasoline efficient]
B: Incorrect [incorrect idiom: invest into, incorrect comparison: cars compared with ..]
C: Incorrect [incorrect idiom: invest for, incorrect comparison:cars being compared to road]
D: Correct [correct idiom: invest in, cars correct compared to cars with the help of "those"]
E: Incorrect [incorrect comparison]


Please feel free to add/correct any of the explanations provided above.

Regards,
Anshu Nadir

(D).....Parallelism