Auto industry analyst firm TrueCar has released some numbers that show American customers are continuing to choose fuel economy when making selections at dealer’s lots. A September 12 report shows overall fuel economy rising to 21.7 miles per gallon last month, up from 21.6 miles per gallon in July.
TrueCar’s vice president Jesse Toprak is one of the most quoted auto sales experts on the Internet. In the report on fuel economy, Toprak suggests that one of the reasons for the rise in more fuel-efficient auto sales last month came from mounting gas prices due to supply issues after hurricane Irene hit the East Coast hard. But many analysts have also been remarking on a longer-term trend towards fuel-efficient vehicles, where many American customers have deep-seated fears of future price spikes due to natural disasters, political instability in producing nations, or even speculative price manipulation. All of this has led the American public to demand greener transportation, and American auto makers have responded in kind. Ford, for its part, has upgraded many of its vehicles to include a new EcoBoost engine block delivering more miles per gallon than yesterday’s model years, and is pioneering alternative technology with its Ford Focus hybrid and all-electric cars. Meanwhile, GM’s Chevrolet Volt is making the all-electric a household name, and its selection of gas-powered cars are also getting smaller and leaner. In general, both foreign and domestic manufacturers are scrambling to produce cars that will go further on a tank of gas. There’s also a major push from the American government to encourage this kind of fuel economy, with standards of 40 miles per gallon for small cars in future model years.
For more on how these numbers affect the greater North American car market, keep looking at what’s coming out of TrueCar’s research facilities to get the best information on various brands and models before you go to the lot. The TrueCar company, which bills itself as “insatiable on data,” combs through actual transaction prices and other information from thousands of dealerships around the country to give consumers an accurate picture of what they can expect when they go shopping for a new set of wheels. The advice that these companies provide can help you pick out competitively priced models and get better overall sale prices and financing agreements when you want to trade in your old car for a newer one.
