U.S. Fuel Economy Up 1.4% in April

The WardsAuto Fuel Economy Index rating for U.S. light-vehicle sales reached 25.3 mpg (9.3 L/100 km) in April, up 1.4% from same-month 2014.

The April result was down slightly from March’s 25.4 mpg (9.3 L/100 km) score, mainly due to an increase on the share of light trucks over cars.

The index rating for light trucks was 21.8 mpg (10.8 L/100 km), holding its record level for a second month. The 4.2% gain on last year’s score was boosted by pickups, which saw a 9.8% improvement. Vans gained market share from prior-month and hit an all-time high of 21.7 mpg (10.8 L/100 km).

Cars averaged 29.3 mpg (8.0 L/100 km), 1.1% above April 2014. Small cars achieved a record outcome of 31.6 mpg (7.4 L/100 km) and accounted for 41.6% of car sales, the highest share of any April.

Volkswagen likely will be the third automaker to surpass the 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) benchmark, following Tesla and Mitsubishi. In April, VW reached a record-high 29.9 mpg (7.9 L/100 km), up 4.1% from year-ago.

General Motors benefited from higher share of electric and plug-in hybrid models compared with March, allowing it to hit a peak of 23.0 mpg (10.2 L/100 km) for the month.

Honda hit an all-time high of 27.6 mpg (8.5 L/100 km) as sales shifted slightly toward cars and away from CUVs and vans.

The national average gasoline price was $2.555 per gallon in April, just 0.4% higher than in March and 31.6% below April 2014. Hybrid, plug-in and diesel-powered vehicles lost some market share to gasoline-powertrain models in this period.

Year-to-date, the index rating sat at 25.3 mpg (9.3 L/100 km), 1.3% above the same period in 2014.

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