Automakers are going the wrong way on mpg

In an oil-addicted nation where $4-a-gallon gasoline may be in the cards, why can’t the auto industry build cars that get better mileage?

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 2006 model vehicles sold in the U.S. average a tepid 21 miles per gallon, the same as in 2005. Even Japanese nameplates, which typically lead the fuel-economy sweepstakes, are slipping. Honda was the top manufacturer with a fleet average of 24.2 mpg, followed by Toyota with 23.8.

General Motors improved slightly to 20.5 mpg, with Ford at 19.7, while DaimlerChrysler, with its muscle cars, brought up the rear at 19.1.

For all the fuss about increased energy costs and Middle East turmoil, the 2006 fleet average for all makers is 5 percent below the peak of 22.1 mpg all the way back in 1987-88. Despite a worsening energy picture, fuel economy seems to be locked in reverse.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette