The average fuel economy of new light duty vehicles bought in the USA leapt from October 2007 to April 2009 from 20.2mpg to 21.3mpg. So what has prompted this improvement?
According to Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, both the unemployment rate and the cost of petrol influenced buyers’ decisions with regards to the fuel economy of their vehicles. During this period the volume of sales slumped sharply, partly linked to the rising unemployment rate though the price of petrol is not seen as a leading influence.
The study looked at the relationship between these two economic indicators and purchase decisions and concluded that the unemployment rate accounted for 89 per cent of the variance in vehicle sales; while both the unemployment rate and the price of petrol has a significant effect on the average fuel economy of the vehicles purchased.
In a companion study for the same period, it was also found that the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per driver from these new vehicles were lower in each month compared to October 2007. This was put down to not only more fuel efficient vehicles, but also a decrease in the amount of driving by American motorists.
The studies were supported by the research consortium Strategic Worldwide Transportation 2020 which includes General Motors, Nissan Technical Centre North America, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Bendix, Ford Motor Company, FIA Foundation for Automobile and Society, Continental Automotive Systems and Bosch.
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