U.S. Fuel Economy Index Up Slightly in January

The average fuel economy rating of new light vehicles sold in the U.S. in January was 25.0 mpg (9.4 L/100 km), according to the WardsAuto Fuel Economy Index.

National average gasoline prices fell for the seventh consecutive month in January to $2.208, resulting in a 34.9% drop from the prior year and a 16.1% decrease from the previous month. These dramatic shifts have not been matched in over five years.

The share of gasoline-powered vehicles increased, while hybrid, plug-in hybrid and diesel models lost popularity compared with same-month 2014. The market also shifted to light trucks and away from cars.

The expected downturn of those mix changes was reversed by a high concentration of 2015 model-year vehicles, many with significantly improved fuel-economy ratings.

The January 2015 result is 0.3% above last year, much less than the 2.3% gain seen in January 2014 from same-month 2013. January’s growth rate is usually above 2%.

Cars averaged 29.2 mpg (8.1 L/100 km), up 1.2% from prior year. Midsize and large cars recorded small downticks, while luxury cars posted a 4.6% gain to 25.9 mpg (9.1 L/100 km).

The index rating for light trucks rose 1.0% to 21.3 mpg (11.0 L/100 km). All segments scored higher than last year, but vans shot up the most, 4.7%.

Domestic models scored just 0.2% above 2014. Imported models, boosted by a 3.5% gain in the rating of cars, were up 1.7%.

Mitsubishi was the highest-rated automaker (excluding Tesla) with a 30.1 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) rating.

[email protected]