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Table 4-23M: Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 4-23M: Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

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  1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Average U.S. passenger car fuel efficiency (kmpl) (calendar year)                  
Passenger cara 6.8 7.4 8.6 9.0 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.4
Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle 5.2 6.1 6.8 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.3 R7.2 7.4
New vehicle fuel efficiency (kmpl)b (model year)                  
Light-duty vehicle                  
Passenger car 10.3 11.7 11.9 12.2 12.1 12.2 12.2 12.0 12.1
Domestic 9.6 11.2 11.4 11.8 11.9 11.8 12.2 11.9 12.1
Imported 12.6 13.4 12.7 12.9 12.6 12.8 12.4 12.3 12.0
Light truck (<8,500 lbs GVWR)c 7.9 8.8 8.8 8.7 8.8 8.8 9.0 8.9 9.0
CAFE standards (kmpl)b (model year)                  
Passenger car 8.5 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7
Light truck d 6.8 / 6.0 8.3 8.5 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.8

KEY: CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy; GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating; kmpl = kilometers per liter; R = revised; U = data are not available.

a From 1980 to 1994, passenger car fuel efficiency includes motorcycles.

b Assumes 55% city and 45% highway-miles. The source calculated average miles per gallon for light-duty vehicles by taking the reciprocal of the sales-weighted average of gallons per mile. This is called the harmonic average. These data were then converted to metric units.

c Beginning with FY 1999, the total light truck fleet ceased to be categorized by either domestic or import fleets.

d 2 Wheel Drive/4 Wheel Drive. No combined figure available for this year.

NOTES

The fuel efficiency figures for light duty vehicles represent the sales-weighted harmonic average of the combined passenger car and light truck fuel economies.

1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers. 3.785412 liters= 1 gallon.

SOURCES

Average U.S. passenger car fuel efficiency:

1980-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A (Revised data obtained from Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm as of Aug. 2, 2001).

1995-2001: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

New vehicle fuel efficiency (based on model year production):

1980-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Automotive Fuel Economy Program, Annual Update Calendar Year 2001, table II-6, Internet site www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/studies/fuelecon/index.html as of January 2003.

CAFE standards:

1980-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Automotive Fuel Economy Program, Annual Update Calendar Year 2001, table I-1, Internet site www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/studies/fuelecon/index.html as of January 2003.