US government-SUV with best gasoline mileage is Toyota
Date: 31-Oct-02
Country: USA
Author: Tom Doggett
U.S. automakers mostly lost to their foreign competitors in producing the best fuel-efficient passenger cars and SUVs for the 2003 model year, but American-made trucks and vans had the best gas mileage, according to the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency in their annual fuel survey of new vehicles.
In a departure from past Bush administration concerns over the safety of smaller vehicles that get better gasoline mileage, the report said buying the most fuel-efficient vehicles would "help strengthen (U.S.) national energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil."
Members of the Bush administration, including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, have said they worried that a boost in mileage requirements could result in smaller vehicles made from lighter-weight materials that would be less safe in highway accidents.
The U.S. market uses about 20 million barrels of oil a day, with about 55 percent of that amount imported.
"Petroleum imports cost us about $2 billion a week - that's money that could be used to fuel our own economy," the report said.
RAV4, VOYAGER TOPS IN THEIR CLASS
The most-efficient SUV made for the 2003 model year is the Toyota Rav4, according to the government's ranking. The vehicle equipped with manual transmission gets 25 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 31 mpg in countryside driving.
The name Rav4 stands for "recreational active vehicle" with a four-wheel drive.
Among mini-vans, the stingiest user of gasoline is the Chrysler Voyager or Dodge Caravan, the government said. Both vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions gets 16 mpg in city driving and 20 mpg in the country.
In the class of mid-size cars, the Honda Accord was ranked as the most fuel-efficient. An Accord with a manual transmission gets 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg in the country. An automatic transmission gets 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg in rural driving.
Honda also claimed the winner in best fuel efficiency in any size of vehicle. Its Insight, a hybrid electric model, gets 61 mpg in the city and 68 mpg in countryside driving when equipped with a manual transmission.
The report showed that foreign cars made by Honda , BMW , Volkswagen and Toyota had the highest fuel economy in the popular vehicle classes: SUVs, small station wagons, two-seater cars, minicompact, subcompact, compact and midsize cars.
American firms Ford , General Motors and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit produced the most fuel efficient large car and midsize station wagon. They also won in the cargo van, minivan, passenger van and small pick-up truck categories, the report said.
GREENHOUSE GASES
The report also warns that buying the biggest gas-guzzling vehicles will produce more greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.
"You can reduce your contribution to global warming by choosing a vehicle with higher fuel economy," the report said.
The report's warning to fight global warming was a sharp contrast to President George W. Bush's prior statements that more study is needed on the causes of global warming.
Last year, Bush decided to withdraw the United States from the international Kyoto treaty that seeks to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by industrialized nations. The administration said participation would be too costly to the U.S. economy.
As part of work on a broad energy bill, U.S. lawmakers earlier this year rejected a proposal to require a significant increase in the fuel efficiency of new vehicles.
American automakers have lobbied hard against stricter mileage standards, claiming such a move would produce lighter and less-safe vehicles. Environmental groups contend that requiring better mileage would save more oil than what could be drilled from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
