What is Going on with Fuel Economy?

Read Time:5 Minute, 55 Second

By TrueCar.com, Special for US Daily Review.

TrueCar.com, the authority on new car pricing, trends and forecasting, today provided actual fuel economy numbers from May light vehicle auto sales that indicate TrueMPG™increased to 23.2 mpg in May 2012 compared to 21.9 mpg in May 2011, and decreased from April 2012 at 23.3 mpg. Just four years ago, in May 2008, TrueMPG was 21.2 mpg.

“We continue to see increases in fuel economy among the major manufacturers compared to the previous years but as we’ve started to see a decline in gas prices in recent weeks, consumer preferences showed a slight shift toward larger, less-fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence at TrueCar.com.

Below is how the top seven manufacturers fared comparing overall mpg, broken out by car and truck mpg:

Average TrueMPG Average Car TrueMPG Average Truck TrueMPG
Manufacturer May-12 May-11 Change May-12 May-11 Change May-12 May-11 Change
Chrysler 19.8 19.3 0.5 22.9 22.1 0.8 18.2 18.0 0.2
Ford 22.3 21.0 1.3 26.3 25.0 1.3 19.7 18.8 0.9
GM 21.5 21.2 0.3 25.3 24.1 1.2 19.0 18.9 0.1
Honda 25.2 23.6 1.6 28.4 26.4 2.0 22.4 20.8 1.6
Hyundai 27.7 25.7 2.0 29.6 26.4 3.2 23.7 23.1 0.6
Nissan 23.0 22.8 0.2 26.0 25.1 0.9 20.0 19.6 0.4
Toyota 24.7 23.1 1.6 30.3 27.3 3.0 19.6 19.2 0.4
Volkswagen 26.6 25.2 1.4 27.7 26.7 1.0 21.7 20.6 1.1
Industry 23.2 21.9 1.3 26.9 24.9 2.0 19.8 19.2 0.6

According to TrueCar.com, the TrueMPG for vehicles sold by U.S. manufacturers averaged 21.3 MPG in May 2012, up from 20.7 MPG in May 2011. European manufacturers increased their average fuel economy for vehicles sold from 21.6 MPG to 23.3 MPG; Japanese manufacturers increased their average fuel economy from last year at 23.3 MPG to 24.6 MPG; and South Korean manufacturers increased their average fuel economy for vehicles from 25.5 MPG to 27.7 MPG.

Below is a snapshot of a few vehicle segments and how they compare from May 2012 versus May 2011:

Average Small Car TrueMPG Average Midsize Car TrueMPG Average Large Truck TrueMPG
Manufacturer May-12 May-11 Change May-12 May-11 Change May-12 May-11 Change
Chrysler 24.9 25.1 -0.2 23.9 23.6 0.3 15.8 15.6 0.2
Ford 32.2 28.1 3.6 26.7 25.6 1.1 17.5 16.6 0.9
GM 30.2 27.8 2.4 26.1 25.3 0.8 17.1 17.0 0.1
Honda 32.0 26.8 5.2 25.9 25.6 0.3 17.2 16.9 0.3
Hyundai/Kia 31.4 27.0 4.4 27.7 26.4 1.3  N/A  N/A  N/A
Mazda 29.8 25.9 3.9 25.0 23.5 1.5  N/A  N/A  N/A
Mitsubishi 25.4 25.9 -0.5 24.3 24.3 0.0  N/A  N/A  N/A
Nissan 30.5 28.7 1.8 25.2 24.7 0.5 14.3 14.2 0.1
Subaru 27.4 22.2 5.2 24.5 23.9 0.6  N/A  N/A  N/A
Suzuki  N/A  N/A N/A 25.0 24.9 0.1  N/A  N/A  N/A
Toyota 34.1 32.1 2.0 28.5 24.5 4.0 15.5 15.6 -0.1
Volkswagen 31.3 29.3 2.0 28.7 24.2 4.5  N/A  N/A  N/A
Industry 31.6 28.2 3.4 26.4 25.1 1.3 16.8 16.5 0.3

TrueMPG™ is an easy-to-understand and objective way to comprehend monthly fuel economy averages by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings based on estimated and/or actual monthly automotive sales-weighted data.  TrueCar.com is seeking to provide transparency and truth in average fuel economy, providing an alternative view to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings that can be confusing and misleading.  TrueMPG™ helps keep in perspective what each manufacturer’s average miles per gallon per car sold using EPA’s window sticker.

TrueMPG™ computes monthly average fuel economy by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments by using actual sales data or forecasted sales data for the current month. Calculations start at the trim level, taking into account EPA fuel economy data including engine size and drivetrain that affect a vehicle’s MPG ratings; the sales share from each trim level is then calculated to create an average for each model.  Brand level data is calculated by the sales share of each model and the manufacturer data is then based on the share of each brand, providing an accurate and completely data driven picture of actual measured MPGs in the market place. TrueCar utilizes EPA’s average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior.

For additional data on TrueMPG by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segment, please visit the TrueCar Truth Blog. The TrueMPG data will be released in May’s TrueCar.com TrueTrends report.  You can follow TrueCar on Twitter (@TrueCar) and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook and Google+.

About TrueCar, Inc.
TrueCar, Inc. is an online automotive information and communications platform focused on creating a better car buying experience for dealers and consumers.  Consumers want a hassle-free car buying experience and dealers want high-quality sales velocity.  TrueCar helps achieve these goals by providing unbiased market information on new car transactions and by supplying an online communications platform through which dealers and consumers can communicate with each other.  TrueCar’s market-based information provides both consumers and dealers with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of what others actually paid recently for similar vehicles, both locally and nationally.  TrueCar’s communications platform then allows informed, ready-to-buy consumers to communicate directly with participating dealers.  Some of the nation’s largest and most well respected membership and service organizations rely on websites powered by TrueCar to help educate their members and customers who are in the automotive market.  TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, and has offices in San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX.  After experiencing dramatic growth since 2006, TrueCar is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information.  TrueCar’s participating dealer partners have sold over 500,000 new vehicles to TrueCar users nationwide.

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