Consumers Balk at Vehicles on EPA's Fuel Economy 'Winners' List
9 October 1998
Consumers Balk at Vehicles on EPA's Fuel Economy 'Winners' List WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- As the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) releases the fuel economy ratings for model year 1999 (MY99) cars
and light trucks, the 40,000-member Coalition for Vehicle Choice (CVC) points
out that the fuel economy "winners" are the least popular because they lack
features that consumers want.
CVC President Diane K. Steed said, "The small econoboxes on the EPA's Top
Ten Most Fuel Efficient list simply don't meet the needs of most consumers,
much less those with families and active lifestyles. That's why they
consistently reject them in favor of more substantial vehicles that offer much
better safety, comfort and utility. We don't think there will be any
exception to that rule with the new 1999 models."
Sales of cars on EPA's Top Ten gas sippers for the past (1998) model year
account for only 1.6 percent of passenger car sales and less than one percent
of overall car and light truck sales. In the light truck category, the EPA's
top ten account for only 0.6 percent of light truck sales, reflecting that
these vehicles just do not meet the safety preferences or the utility needs of
most businesses and consumers.
This year EPA is urging consumers to buy more fuel efficient vehicles
because they emit fewer greenhouse gases and therefore, theoretically, reduce
the risk of global warming. Most consumers are smart enough to place their
bets on reducing known risks like crash injury. Everyone knows that larger
vehicles offer more crash protection than smaller vehicles. In fact, according
to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the largest sport utility
vehicles have the lowest fatality rate of any car or light truck. "Because
fuel economy is so closely linked to vehicle size, we believe it is
irresponsible for EPA to encourage consumers to buy more fuel efficient
vehicles without disclosing the well-documented link between vehicle size and
safety," Steed said.
"Larger vehicles offer a significant safety advantage in a crash, a fact
validated by the laws of physics and virtually every safety study ever done by
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other safety
organizations. Consumers know that car insurance merely protects their
investment and liability. Vehicle size is the real insurance policy which may
mean paying a little more at the gas pump, but it's a small price to pay to
protect life and limb in a crash," Steed said.
The hidden story behind the release of EPA's "top ten" is that even those
consumers who value fuel economy need not compromise their safety and comfort.
Most new cars sold today achieve remarkable fuel economy levels that were
unheard of when the term "gas guzzler" was coined. For example, a 1998
four-wheel drive Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicle, Cadillac DeVille, and
Ford Taurus station wagon all get better mileage than a 1978 Toyota Corona
subcompact car. Virtually all minivans today that can carry a soccer team and
all its gear get better fuel economy than the old Volkswagen beetle.
And consumers have been voting against fuel economy with more than just
their pocket books. In an ongoing survey on the Friends of The Earth Internet
Web site (http://www.suv.org), visitors are asked a number of questions including,
"What is most important in a car for you?" Listed are 12 vehicle attributes
including safety, versatility, and size. Only four percent chose fuel
efficiency.
EPA's top ten lack many of the popular safety and comfort options like air
conditioning, automatic transmissions, four-wheel drive, antilock brakes, and
engines that provide adequate hauling and towing capability. These vehicles
may save money at the gas pump, but not enough to offset the loss of other
features consumers value.
The MY99 fleet is good news for safety, with all cars and light trucks now
equipped with dual air bags, which have been "depowered" to reduce risk to
children and short-statured motorists. All the new vehicles offer improved
side-impact protection, and, as part of a second year phase-in, forty percent
of the new vehicles will come with improved interior head protection.
The new model year is good for the environment too. All new cars and light
trucks for the past three years have met strict new Federal tailpipe emissions
standards ("Tier I"), which makes them 97% cleaner than vehicles of the
1960's, and they have air conditioning systems free of ozone-depleting
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's). MY99 marks the first year phase-in of even
cleaner cars for the future. The "National Low Emission Vehicles" are 99%
cleaner compared to pre-controlled cars. (It's important to understand that
additional safety and emissions equipment add weight to vehicles which works
against efforts to improve fuel economy.)
Steed, a former administrator of NHTSA, the federal agency responsible for
motor vehicle safety and setting fuel economy standards, is credited with
creating the impetus for the current high level of safety belt and child
safety seat use in the U.S., and was the first to significantly reduce deaths
and injuries caused by drunk drivers. She believes the EPA fuel-economy list
is useful information for consumers if kept in perspective, but regrets that
advocacy groups (for whom achieving unrealistic fuel economy levels is an
article of faith) use it to mislead the public and downplay the safety
tradeoffs involved.
The CVC is a non-profit organization representing more than 40,000 groups
and individuals working to preserve Americans' access to safe and affordable
cars and light trucks capable of meeting diverse personal and professional
transportation needs. CVC members include automotive, insurance, consumer,
farm, construction, recreation, law enforcement, seniors and safety
organizations.
Note: Below are sales figures for EPA's top ten most fuel efficient cars
and light trucks (issued last year) for the past 1998 model year.
For more information on CVC, or for a soundbite on this release visit the
organization on the Web: http://www.vehiclechoice.org.
Model Year 1998
EPA Top Ten Most Fuel Efficient Passenger Cars
Model Engine Size/ Transmission City Highway Units
No. of Cylinders MPG MPG Sold
MY '98-
8/31
Chevrolet 1.0 liter (61 CID)/3 M5 44 49 7,610
Metro*
Volkswagen 1.9 liter (116 CID)/4 M5 40 49 7,205
Jetta Turbo Diesel
Volkswagen 1.9 liter (116 CID)/4 M5 39 50 0
Passat** Turbo Diesel
Volkswagen 1.9 liter (116 CID)/4
Passat Turbo Diesel M5 39 50 0
Wagon**
Chevrolet 1.3 liter (79 CID)/4 M5 39 43 16,464
Metro*
Suzuki 1.3 liter (79 CID)/4 M5 39 43 1,478
Swift*
Honda 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 36 44 4,582
Civic HX VTEC-E
Honda 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 AV 34 39 3,338
Civic HX VTEC-E
Mitsubishi 1.5 liter (90 CID)/4 M5 33 40 4,031
Mirage
Honda 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 32 37 71,705
Civic***
Total 116,413
* Models equipped with Shift Indicator Light
** Models with these configurations are not sold in the U.S.
*** Current MY98 data not available, based on MY97 sales data
Data Summary
MY98 cars sold through 8/31/98: 7,385,700
MY98 cars and light trucks sold through 8/31/98: 14,037,740
MY98 "TOP 10 Cars" sold through 8/31/98: 116,413
MY98 "TOP 10 Cars" sold as % of all car sales: 1.6%
MY98 "TOP 10 Cars" sold as % of all car & light truck sales: 0.8%
Model Year 1998
EPA Top Ten Most Fuel Efficient Light Trucks
Model Engine Size/ Transmission City Higbway Units
No. of Cylinders MPG MPG Sold
MY '98-
8/31
Toyota 2 liter (122 CID)/4 L4 24 29 19,606
RAV 4 2 WD
Toyota 2 liter (122 CID)/4 M5 24 29 5,170
RAV 4 2 WD
Toyota 2 liter (122 CID)/4 L4 24 29 380
RAV S/T 2WD
Toyota 2 liter (122 CID)/4 M5 24 29 265
RAV 4 S/T 2WD
Chevrolet 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 24 26 5,187
Tracker
2 WD Conv.
Suzuki Sidekick1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 24 26 698
2 Door
Chevrolet
Tracker 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 24 26 6,472
4 WD Conv.
Suzuki
Sidekick 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 24 26 844
4 WD 2 Door
Chevrolet 1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 23 26 2,032
Tracker
2 WD Hard Top
Suzuki Sidekick1.6 liter (97 CID)/4 M5 23 26 2,142
4 Door
Total 42,796
Data Summary
MY98 Light Trucks sold through 8/31/98: 6,652,040
MY98 cars and light trucks sold through 8/31/98: 14,037,740
MY98 "TOP 10 Light Trucks" sold through 8/31/98: 42,796
MY98 "TOP 10 Light Trucks" sold as % of all light truck sales: 0.6%
MY98 "TOP 10 Light Trucks" sold as % of all car & light truck sales: 0.3%
