February Fuel Economy Falls From Prior Month

The WardsAuto Fuel Economy Index for U.S. light-vehicle sales reached 25.2 mpg (9.3 L/100 km) in February, down slightly from the index’s record high of 25.3 mpg (9.3 L/100 km) set the prior month.

The result was up 20.5% from the fourth-quarter 2007 baseline and 2.1% better than February 2013.

Ford reached a record-high 24.5 mpg (9.6 L/100 km) resulting from increased share of hybrid vehicles and smaller cars in recent months.

The average fuel economy for Asian companies was brought up by record scores from Mazda and Subaru. Mazda regained the top automaker spot (excluding electric-only Tesla) it last held in October with a score of 29.3 mpg (8.0 L/100 km). The automaker posted a major gain from month-ago by light trucks, boosted by increased sales of the CX-5.

Among European companies, Jaguar Land Rover and Porsche recorded all-time highs. JLR, the lowest-ranked automaker in every month of the WardsAuto Fuel Economy Index, was the most improved company from year-ago, growing 12.7% to 19.5 mpg (12.1 L/100 km).

Subaru’s, Mazda’s and JLR’s success lifted the score of imported light trucks to a record 23.8 mpg (9.9 L/100 km), up 1.6% from month-ago.

Mitsubishi, the most improved automaker from its 2007 base score, posted the biggest year-over-year decline, falling 5.7% from February 2013. The drop was due to lower share of small cars and electric vehicles.

The index rating for all cars was 29.3 mpg (8.0 L/100 km) in February, and all segments posted small declines from January.

CUVs averaged a best-ever score of 23.2 mpg (10.1 L/100 km), helping push the score of all light trucks to a record 21.2 mpg (11.1 L/100 km).

National average gasoline prices rose for the third consecutive month, reaching $3.43 per gallon in February.

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