Hyundai to begin touting its monthly fuel-economy numbers
(February 3, 2011) Hyundai is one of the most fuel-efficient car companies selling vehicles in the U.S. And apparently they want to get the word out.
So this week Hyundai began revealing overall fuel economy for its cars and light trucks based on monthly sales as regulators prepare to set tougher rules for automakers. Models sold by Hyundai in January got an average of 34.7 miles per gallon based on U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, guidelines.
Hyundai's U.S. fleet averaged 34.4 miles per gallon in December and 31.7 in the 2009 model year, the latest period for industry data, said John Krafcik, the company's U.S. chief.
“We look at this information internally, so we thought, ‘Why not share it externally?'” Krafcik said. “It might be helpful to policy makers and the general public because there's a lot of discussion about big CAFE targets.”"In 2008, Hyundai had committed to achieve a CAFE level of at least 35 mpg by 2015. Since then, we’ve redoubled our efforts to introduce affordable, fuel-efficient technology across our lineup, and now we can confidently project achieving a 35 mpg average several years early,” Krafcik said.
2011 Hyundai Elantra rated
at 40 mpg on the highway
“With 2025 CAFE targets being discussed in the 47-to-62 mpg range, Hyundai’s fuel economy and sales achievements across a wide range of vehicle segments may provide some confidence to policy-makers that this industry can achieve remarkable fuel efficiency gains without compromising vehicle sales, appeal, value, or customer satisfaction.”
In November, Hyundai began reporting monthly sales of vehicles that achieve 40-mpg, in keeping with its commitment to put more 40-mpg cars on the road than any other automaker in 2011. In January, Hyundai sold 4,792 cars (2011 Elantra sedan and 2011 Sonata Hybrid) with 40-mpg EPA fuel economy highway ratings.
“This is another case where more data could benefit consumers through greater availability of 40-mpg vehicles across the industry,” said Krafcik.