Fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the United States has reached an all-time high according to a University of Michigan study.
The average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs purchased in October reached 24.1 miles per gallon, up from 23.8 mpgs in September. The mark is the highest since university researchers began measuring statistics five years ago.
Since researchers at the school’s Transportation Research Institute began studying the fuel economy of new-car sales, fuel economy has increased by 20 percent, rising from 20.1 mpgs in October 2007 to 24.1 today.
Researchers estimate that the increase in efficiency has resulted in a savings of 6.1 billion gallons, enough to fuel all U.S. vehicles for approximately 13 days. It also amounts to a reduction of 120 billion pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions, according to the report.
The uptick in fuel economy underscores a shift in consumer preference for smaller cars as gas prices have risen and become more volatile over the same timespan. They also reflect the push for automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars, as they seek to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.
“GM, Toyota and Honda increased their fuel economy the most over a year ago, as consumers continued to flock to small cars due to unseasonably high gas prices and compelling product” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of market intelligence at TrueCar.com.
Hyundai maintained the most fuel-efficient vehicle lineup overall at 27.5 MPGs, according to TrueCar.com., although that numbers may be skewed. On Friday, an EPA investigation revealed Hyundai and Kia‘s fuel-economy numbers had been overstated, in some cases by as many as 6 MPGs. Both automakers were forced to revise their fuel-economy numbers downward.
Behind Hyundai, Volkswagen maintained the most fuel-efficient vehicle lineup overall, averaging 26.6 miles per gallon across its fleet. VW increased 0.2 mpg from the previous year measured.
Of the eight manufacturers measured, Detroit’s Big Three all ranked at the bottom of fleet-wide fuel economy. Chrysler fared the worst with an average fuel economy of 20.0 MPGs. GM ranked second to last with average fuel economy of 21.5 MPGs, although it had improved by 1.1 MPGs over the past year. Ford had a fleet-wide average of 21.9 MPGs.
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Pickup truck owners have always been at odds with each other– comparing payload capacities, towing abilities and engine torque with each other like weight-lifters comparing bench press amounts.
But recently pickup-one-upmanship has taken a turn in a completely different direction: Fuel economy.
With every new generation of fullsize pickup introduced, its fuel economy becomes a major marketing point and truckmakers often tout it more than a truck’s ability to pull tree stumps out.
It’s a welcome change, as we look forward to a fullsize pickup that one day reaches 30 mpg down the road.
Here’s a current look at where fullsize pickups rank with their fuel economy.
MSRP: $22,595 – $42,440
Invoice: $21,691 – $39,469
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 20 mpg Highway
The long-in-the-bedSilverado currently looks and acts like its from a different time – in fact, it is. The Silverado is due for an overhaul next year and we expect its mileage to improve drastically when it arrives.
But until then, its mileage lags behind all of the major competition– even though General Motors is the only truckmaker to offer a fullsize pickup hybrid (which manages to get 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.)
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MSRP: $25,355 – $48,070
Invoice: $23,580 – $44,460
Fuel Economy: 16 mpg City, 20 mpg Highway
When the newTundra arrived, many predicted the end of American pickup domination. However, the Japanese invasion of pickups never happened. Now the Tundra ranks third in mileage of its big pickups and fourth in sales.
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MSRP: $23,670 – $52,455
Invoice: $21,953 – $47,605
Fuel Economy: 17 mpg City, 23 mpg Highway
The top sellingFord F-150 raised the fuel economy standard a few years ago when it introduced the 3.5-liter V6 with twin turbochargers as its most powerful fullsize pickup and as its most fuel efficient model. The Blue Oval brand also reintroduced a second V6 offering – a model with Ford’s 3.7-liter V6.
At the time, it was a calculated risk, as many experts thought truck buyers would not want a V6 model when so many more powerful and dependable V8 offerings were around. But once again, the critics were wrong and Ford was right.
Since then, more than half of all fullsize pickups sold by Ford are V6 models.
And Ford isn’t stopping there. It is already beginning to test new weight reduction methods such as making more of future trucks with aluminum in order to improve mileage.
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MSRP: $22,590 – $47,420
Invoice: $21,202 – $43,487
Fuel Economy: 18 mpg City, 25 mpg Highway
Ram 1500 engineers showed what a truck can do when they focused so heavily on fuel economy. Mating Chrysler Group’s 3.6-lter V6 with a new 8-speed transmission, creating numerous ways to make the new Ram lighter and more aerodynamic, helped create the first fullsize pickup that achieved 25 mpg on the highway.
More importantly, the new Ram sets a higher standard for everyone to meet.
Pickup owners have shown, that they may not want to lose capability with their next pickup, but they expect better performance– and that now includes high mileage.
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