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Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2008
This report, published in September 2008, provides data on the fuel economy and technology characteristics of new light-duty vehicles (cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks) for model years 1975 through 2008. EPA projects average real-world fuel economy for Model Year 2008 to be 20.8 miles per gallon. There is some uncertainty, however, as the 2008 estimate is based on pre-model-year sales projections provided by automakers to EPA at a time when gasoline prices were lower than today’s levels.
This report confirms that average fuel economy has improved each year beginning in 2005, is now 1.5 miles per gallon higher than in 2004, and is the highest since 1993. This reverses a long term trend of slightly declining fuel economy since its 1987 peak. Most of the increase in overall fuel economy since 2004 has been due to higher light truck fuel economy. This is due, in part, to higher light truck fuel economy standards, which have risen each year since 2005. The overall increase in fuel economy is also due to a slightly lower light truck market share, which peaked in 2004 at 52 percent and is projected to be 48 percent in 2008.
NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view most of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
Executive Summary
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel-Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2008 -- Executive Summary (PDF) (12 pp, 198K, EPA420-S-08-003, September 2008)
Full 2008 Report
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel-Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2008 (PDF) (96 pp, 130K, EPA420-R-08-015, September 2008) The full report includes the executive summary but does not include the appendixes.
Appendixes to the Report (All appendixes are PDF files)
List of Appendixes (2 pp, 130K)
APPENDIX A: Database Details and Calculation Methods (16 pp, 283K)
APPENDIX B: Model Year 2008 Nameplate Fuel Economy Listings (16 pp, 188K)
APPENDIX C: Fuel-Economy Distribution Data (25 pp, 439K)
APPENDIX D: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type (17 pp, 50K)
APPENDIX E: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Size (16 pp, 303K)
APPENDIX F: Car Data Stratified by EPA Car Class (10 pp, 245K)
APPENDIX G: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Weight Class (48 pp, 550K)
APPENDIX H: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Drive Type (13 pp, 259K)
APPENDIX I: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Transmission Type (65 pp, 110K)
APPENDIX J: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Cylinder Count (23 pp, 337K)
APPENDIX K: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type, Engine Type, and Valves Per Cylinder (21 pp, 164K)
APPENDIX L: Data Stratified by Vehicle Type and Marketing Group (41 pp, 707K)
APPENDIX M: Fuel Economy by Marketing Group, Vehicle Type, and Weight Class (81 pp, 125K)
APPENDIX N: Fuel Economy and Ton MPG by Marketing Group, Vehicle Type, and Size (22 pp, 50K)
APPENDIX O: MY2008 Fuel Economy by Vehicle Type, Weight, and Marketing Group (5 pp, 194K)
APPENDIX P: Data Stratified by Marketing Group and Vehicle Type (161 pp, 275K)
APPENDIX Q: Characteristics of Fleets Comprised of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles (21 pp, 360K)
NOTE: All data tables in this report and the appendixes are generated from space-delimited ASCII files. Saving these tables from the PDF files as .txt files might facilitate transferring the data in these tables to spreadsheet format.
Full 2007 Report
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2007
For More Information
Please contact Jeff Alson at 734-214-4296, alson.jeff@epa.gov, or:
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
2000 Traverwood Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105