By Nora Naughton, Crain News Service
DETROIT (Aug. 7, 2014) — The average stated fuel economy of light vehicles sold in the U.S. in July inched back closer to the all-time high set two months earlier, a University of Michigan report said Aug. 5.
The average window-sticker value of cars, light trucks, vans and SUVs last month was 25.6 mpg. That's up from 25.5 in June but just below the record 25.7 in May, according to a monthly report from the university's Transportation Research Institute.
The 25.6 mpg average last month was a big leap from 24.8 in July 2013. Average stated fuel economy has increased about 27 percent since institute researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle began recording window-sticker values in October 2007.
A separate study by the institute found that the average emissions of greenhouse gases generated by each driver in the nation in May, the most recent month studied, has dropped 21 percent from October 2007, when researchers began recording numbers monthly.
This report appeared on the website of Automotive News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.