New analysis released by industry firm West Bloomfield suggests that gas efficiency in today’s cars has never been higher.
The report found that in the first half of 2012, the average miles per gallon (mpg) of all cars in the US was 23.8, which is a slight 1.1 mpg increase from the first half of last year.
Clearly, the increase in mpg is due to the increasingly popularity of hybrid cars, electric cars and the like. But it also tends to increase as older cars get disposed of and off the road. So as the older, gas-chugging cars get replaced by newer models, even if they aren’t electric cars, the average mpg should increase, however slightly.
This is good news for a lot of groups in the car industry, including manufacturers themselves, who see that electric and hybrid cars are still popular, as well as environmental groups that advocate for more efficient cars on today’s roads.
This is one step closer to the goal President Obama set when he enforced a regulation that requires all car makers to average 35.5 mpg by 2016. With four years left to go, it seems as though manufacturers are on the right pace.
Noting the increase in electric cars, the reports also suggest that the average mpg is improving because more cars are made with smaller, lighter engines that don’t use as much gas. The SUV trend of a few years back has also subsided, which means there’s a greater focus on small, environmentally-friendlier cars that don’t have the low average mpg that trucks and SUVs have.
Still, there will always be a need for large vehicles, so the average must be offset by smaller, nimble cars that don’t take much gas. This is something manufacturers have been working on for years, and we’re still seeing improvements each year – even each quarter.
In 2012, car manufacturers hope to see an even greater increase in the last half of the year, and going strong into 2013, the industry looks to capitalize on the trends that have taken place this year. As for all the junk cars out there, experts suggest that they’ll slowly leave the picture, but will still be around for many years.
When the recession hit at the end of 2007, many families held on to older cars that they would’ve normally sold or traded in, so we could just now end up seeing a flux in old cars that households get rid of because they can finally afford to move to newer, more efficient models.
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