A report from TrueCar found that average fuel economy for new cars sold in the States continues to rise. Before we look into the details, we should note that the automotive analyst employs EPA’s average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior, which it names “TrueMPG“.
For the month of March, the TrueMPG of all new vehicles sold in March 2012 increased to 23.4mpg US (10.5lt/100km or 28.1mpg UK), compared to 23.2 mpg in February of 2012, 22.0 mpg in March 2011 and. 20.3 mpg (11.6lt/100km or 24.4mpg UK) in March of 2008.
The reason for this shift, as you may have already guessed, is the relatively high gas prices that push consumers to more fuel efficient vehicles and which in turn forces carmakers to improve their fuel economy ratings.
“Gas prices are nearing $4 per gallon nationwide and consumers are getting reluctant to pay any additional money at the pump when buying a new vehicle,” explains Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence at TrueCar.
“Consumer buying behavior has shifted and vehicles today are more fuel efficient than ever, contributing to significant gains in fuel economy of over three miles per gallon since 2008.”
According to the report, the average mpg for vehicles sold by U.S. manufacturers in March 2012 was 21.3 MPG, up from 20.5 MPG in March 2011, while European manufacturers improved their average fuel economy from 20.5 MPG to 22.7 MPG.
Japanese brands increased their average fuel economy from last year at 23.6 MPG to 25.0 MPG, while South Korean automakers increased their average fuel economy from 26.0 MPG to 28.1 MPG.
Below you’ll find more detailed stats from TrueCar’s study.
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