The average rate was 23.8 miles per gallon (MPG), up 1.1 MPG over the same period in 2011, said Alan Baum, principal of Baum & Associates.
He attributed the improvement -- along with stronger new car sales for 2012 – to the increasing number of fuel-efficient cars in all segments, consumers’ purchasing fuel-efficient larger vehicles and the fact that the current model year marks the start of the U.S. government’s requiring automakers to increase their label ratings to 27.3 by 2016.
Higher MPG benefits not just consumers who are concerned about the environment or what they spend on gas, but also the auto companies.
“Automakers have signed on to the new fuel economy requirements, not because they’re good guys, but because it’s good for business,” Baum said.
Luke Tonachel, vehicles analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, added that the fuel-efficiency standards are “exceeding our expectations. These standards are doing exactly what they should.”
Currently, there are 60 nameplates with high fuel economy in the small and medium cars and crossovers segments, as opposed to 28 in 2009, according to Baum.
Source:
freep.com
