EPA Acknowledges Japanese Automakers for Best Fuel Economy
The Environmental Protection Agency has just published the results of their industry-wide fuel efficiency survey for the 2013 model year. After evaluating fuel economy and emissions for every single car across every single automaker’s lineup in the US, they’ve totaled and averaged the numbers to come up with a green ranking of the auto industry.
The average fuel economy rating for the 2013 model year was 24.1 mpg and average CO2 emissions were 369 g/mi. Unsurprisingly, Japanese carmakers lead the way with the top four most efficient brands being Mazda, Honda, Subaru and Nissan, in that order. Here were the specific mpg averages for each automaker in 2013:
- Mazda – 28.1 mpg
- Honda – 27.4 mpg
- Subaru – 26.7 mpg
- Nissan – 26.2 mpg
Click here to read the EPA’s full report
The EPA acknowledged Mazda and Nissan especially for their role in recognizing and improving their lineup’s environmental friendliness. They acknowledged Mazda, obviously, for not only having the highest average fuel economy, but also the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any automaker with just 316 g/mi across their lineup. They lauded Nissan for having the largest year-to-year improvement with an average jump of 2.2 mpg and an emissions reduction of 30 g/mi.
We were particularly impressed by Nissan’s achievement. Most other automakers were lucky to improve their lineup by even 0.5 mpg from 2012 to 2013, and some actually became less efficient. Nissan officials say their vast improvement in rankings was due to the new Altima, Pathfinder and Sentra that were introduced for the 2013 model year, in combination with a long-standing dedication to weight reduction and engine efficiency.
At the bottom of the EPA’s list you’ll find Chrysler-Fiat with a lineup-wide average of 20.9 mpg, General Motors with 22.0 mpg and Ford with 22.2 mpg. Believe it or not, Toyota barely made it into the top half of the list with just 25.1 mpg average, a 0.5 mpg decrease over the 2012MY. Keep in mind that Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia weren’t included in the survey due to “a continuing investigation.”
As for the 2014 model year, the EPA won’t publish any official rankings until next year when the 2014 model year is officially over. However, their preliminary numbers show that Mazda will remain king of the hill with an average of 28.8 mpg across their lineup, while Subaru and Honda will have a near-tie for second with 27.5 and 27.6 mpg respectively.
Despite the low fuel economy numbers from the major American automakers, the EPA says that this year’s survey is good news. The average fuel economy continues to rise year after year while average emissions continue to fall.
