Ford Vehciles vs Chevy: The Deliberation Proceeds even

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GM Incentive Program
The average fuel economy for 2007 vehicles was 20.2 miles per gallon, the same as 2006 vehicles,
the Environmental Protection Agency said in an annual report that used new testing procedures. The
agency said the overall results marked an increase compared with 2004 vehicles, which averaged
19.3 mpg.
Honda Motor Co. had the highest fuel economy of any manufacturer with 22.9 mpg, a slight
decrease compared with its 2006 lineup. Toyota Motor Corp. posted a 22.8 mpg average for its 2007
vehicles compared with 22.4 mpg the previous year. Toyota's average was helped by the gas-electric
Prius hybrid, which had the highest combined fuel economy of any passenger car with 46.2 mpg.
South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., which includes Kia vehicles, improved to 22.7 mpg for 2007
vehicles, followed by Volkswagen AG with 21.4 mpg. Nissan Motor Co. showed the largest gain of
any automaker during the past year, improving 0.6 mpg to 20.6 mpg. General Motors Corp. led
domestic automakers with 19.4 mpg, followed by Ford Motor Co. with 18.7 mpg. For the third
straight year, Ford's Escape hybrid had the highest fuel efficiency of any light Emergency Vehicle
Upfitters truck with 29.7 mpg.

DaimlerChrysler AG, which recently completed the sale of a controlling stake in Chrysler to private
equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, was the lowest rated with 18.3 mpg, a mark that has
been unchanged the past three years. The figures were calculated for the first time based on test
methods devised to better reflect driving habits and provide a more realistic estimate. The new tests
led to a 6 percent decrease in fuel economy averages compared to past estimates using old testing
criteria, the EPA said.
Among vehicle type, passenger cars averaged 23.4 mpg in 2007-- unchanged from 2006. SUVs
averaged 18.1 mpg, an increase of 0.3 mpg, and pickups were unchanged at 16.2 mpg. EPA
Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said the findings were evidence that "automakers are answering
President Bush's call to improve fuel economy and decrease our nation's dependency on foreign oil."
But the figures underscored complaints in Congress that the auto industry has failed to rapidly ramp
up production of vehicles that can get more miles on a gallon of gas. The Senate approved legislation
in June that would require automakers to build more efficient vehicles; the measure is pending in
Congress.

With more consumers driving larger vehicles than a generation ago, overall fuel efficiency has made
little progress. The current fleet is less efficient than the new vehicles produced in 1981, for
example, and well below the peak of 22 mpg in 1987.
Toyota Motor Corp. posted a 22.8 mpg average for its 2007 vehicles compared with 22.4 mpg the
previous year. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., which includes Kia vehicles, improved to 22.7 mpg
for 2007 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen AG with 21.4 mpg. Nissan Motor Co. showed the largest
gain of any automaker during the past year, improving 0.6 mpg to 20.6 mpg. SUVs averaged 18.1
mpg, an increase of 0.3 mpg, and pickups were unchanged at 16.2 mpg.