HONDA AND TOYOTA OFFERED U.S. CONSUMERS THE HIGHEST average fuel efficiency of 2007 model year vehicles, the government reported Wednesday. 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. For individual vehicles, the test results are included on window stickers in dealer lots. 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 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
With more consumers driving larger vehicles than a generation ago, overall fuel efficiency has made Command Cabinets 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.
