Washington - For the fifth
consecutive year, EPA is reporting an increase in fuel efficiency
with a corresponding decrease in average carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions for new cars and light duty trucks. This marks the first
time that data for CO2 emissions are included in the annual report,
“Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and
Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009”.

“American drivers are increasingly looking for cars that burn
cleaner, burn less gas and won’t burn a hole in their wallets,”
said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re working to help
accelerate this trend with strong investments in clean energy
technology - particularly for the cars and trucks that account for
almost 60 percent of greenhouse gases from transportation
sources.  Cleaner, more efficient vehicles can help reduce our
dangerous dependence on foreign oil, cut harmful pollution, and
save people money – and it’s clear that’s what the American car
buyer wants.”

For 2008, the last year for which EPA has final data from
automakers, the average fuel economy value was 21.0 miles per
gallon (mpg).  EPA projects a small improvement in 2009, based
on pre-model year sales estimates provided to EPA by automakers, to
21.1 mpg.

The report confirms that average CO2 emissions have decreased
and fuel economy has increased each year beginning in 2005. 
Average CO2 emissions have decreased by 39 grams per mile, or 8
percent, and average fuel economy has increased by 1.8 mpg, or 9
percent, since 2004. This positive trend beginning in 2005 reverses
a long period of increasing CO2 emissions and decreasing fuel
economy from 1987 through 2004, and returns CO2 emissions and fuel
economy to levels of the early 1980s.

The report also provides data on the CO2 emissions,
fuel economy and technology characteristics of new light-duty
vehicles including cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and
pickup trucks. 

The latest CO2 emissions and fuel economy values reflect EPA’s
best estimates of real world CO2 emissions and fuel economy
performance. They are consistent with the fuel economy estimates
that EPA provides on new vehicle window stickers and in the Fuel
Economy Guide.  These real world fuel economy values are about
20 percent lower, on average, than those used for compliance with
the corporate average fuel economy program under DOT.

target=”_blank”>Click here for the Executive Summary of the
Report