The average fuel economy for 2007 vehicles was 20.2 miles per gallon, the same as 2006 vehicles, the Environmental Protection Agency said in an annual report that used new testing procedures. The agency said the overall results marked an increase compared with 2004 vehicles, which averaged 19.3 mpg.
Toyota Motor Corp. posted a 22.8 mpg average for its 2007 vehicles compared with 22.4 mpg the previous year. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., which includes Kia vehicles, improved to 22.7 mpg for 2007 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen AG with 21.4 mpg. Nissan Motor Co. showed the largest gain of any automaker during the past year, improving 0.6 mpg to 20.6 mpg.
DaimlerChrysler AG, which recently completed the sale of a controlling stake in Chrysler to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, was the lowest SCBA Command Cabinets rated with 18.3 mpg, a mark that has been unchanged the past three years. The figures were calculated for the first time based on test methods devised to better reflect driving habits and provide a more realistic estimate. The new tests led to a 6 percent decrease in fuel economy averages compared to past estimates using old testing criteria, the EPA said.
Among vehicle type, passenger cars averaged 23.4 mpg in 2007-- unchanged from 2006. SUVs averaged 18.1 mpg, an increase of 0.3 mpg, and pickups were unchanged at 16.2 mpg. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said the findings were evidence that "automakers are answering
President Bush's call to improve fuel economy and decrease our nation's dependency on foreign oil." The figures underscored complaints in Congress that the auto industry has failed to rapidly ramp up production of vehicles that can get more miles on a gallon of gas. The Senate approved legislation in June that would require automakers to build more efficient vehicles; the measure is pending in Congress.
With more consumers driving larger vehicles than a generation ago, overall fuel efficiency has made little progress. The current fleet is less efficient than the new vehicles produced in 1981, for example, and well below the peak of 22 mpg in 1987.
Toyota Motor Corp. posted a 22.8 mpg average for its 2007 vehicles compared with 22.4 mpg the previous year. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., which includes Kia vehicles, improved to 22.7 mpg for 2007 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen AG with 21.4 mpg. Nissan Motor Co. showed the largest gain of any automaker during the past year, improving 0.6 mpg to 20.6 mpg. SUVs averaged 18.1 mpg, an increase of 0.3 mpg, and pickups were unchanged at 16.2 mpg.
