Table 4-23
Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars, Light Trucks, and Light-Duty Vehicles
	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Average U.S. passenger car fuel
efficiency (mpg) (calendar year)
Passenger car	15.9	17.4	20.2	21.1	21.0	20.5	20.7	21.1	R21.2	21.5	U
Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle	12.2	14.3	16.1	17.0	17.3	17.4	17.3	17.3	R17.2	17.2	U
New vehicle fuel efficiency (mpg)a (model year)
Light-duty vehicle (passenger cars plus light trucks)
Domestic	21.4	24.0	23.9	24.4	23.9	24.3	23.7	23.8	24.1	23.4	23.6
Imported	28.6	30.3	28.5	28.4	27.9	28.1	27.7	27.9	27.7	27.5	27.6
Passenger car
Domestic	22.6	26.3	26.9	27.3	27.0	27.8	27.5	27.7	28.3	27.9	28.0
Imported	29.6	31.5	29.9	30.1	29.2	29.6	29.6	30.3	29.7	29.8	29.9
Light truck (<8,500 lbs GVWR)
Domestic	16.8	19.6	20.3	20.9	20.5	20.7	20.5	20.3	20.5	20.1	20.5
Imported	24.3	26.5	23.0	23.0	22.7	22.8	22.1	21.5	R22.2	22.1	22.9
CAFE standards (mpg)a (model year)
Passenger car	20.0	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5
Light truck	16.0/14.0b	19.5	20.0	20.2	20.2	20.4	20.5	20.6	20.7	20.7	20.7
a  Assume 55% city and 45% highway-miles.  The source calculated average miles per gallon for light-duty vehicles by
taking the reciprocal of the sales-weighted average of gallons per mile.  This is called the harmonic average.
b  2 Wheel Drive/4 Wheel Drive.  No combined figure available for this year.
KEY: CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy; GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating; mpg = miles per gallon; R = revised; U = data are unavailable
NOTE:  The fuel efficiency figures for light duty vehicles represent the sales-weighted harmonic average of the combined passenger car and light truck fuel economies.
SOURCES:
Average U.S. passenger car fuel efficiency:
1980-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.
1995-97: _____. Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
New vehicle fuel efficiency (based on model year production):
1980-90: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, final fuel economy calculations for the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
personal communication, Sept. 29, 1997.
1991-98: Manufacturer's preliminary estimates for the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, personal communications,
Sept. 29, 1997 and Nov. 19, 1998.
CAFE standards:
1980-98: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Consumer Programs Division, NPS-32, personal communications, July 26, 1996,
Sept. 29, 1997, and Nov. 19, 1998.