Cars may be getting more efficient but it seems they can’t make up for US buyers vehicle preferences. A report has just been published stating that the average economy of new cars in the US actually dropped by a slight margin in February of this year.

The Michigan Transportation Research Institute reports that the average figure for January as having been 25.4 mpg which dropped to 25.2 mpg the following month.

This is attributed to “the increased market share of light trucks, SUVs, and crossovers in response to the inclement winter weather in a large part of the country,” according to researcher Michael Sivak.

Still, it’s not all bad news, as this February is actually the 13th consecutive month that averages have stayed above 25 mpg, a number which marks a 5.1 mpg improvement over the year 2007.

The highest number recorded was 25.8 mpg, in August of 2014, but since then the number has gone down; in December it was actually 25.1 mpg…

Remember, though, that the deadline for the newly-implemented CAFE standards which dictate that the number increases to an average of 54.5 mpg, is just ten years away.

Via AutoNews

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