Efficiency improvements march on despite the public's disdain for the most fuel efficient models. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Jan. 12, 2018 2019 Mazda3 Prototype w/ SKYACTIV-X 1.5L I4 Mazda has spent decades working on an internal combustion engine that provides the efficiency of a diesel but can run on gasoline. With its upcoming SKYACTIV-X engine offering(s), they are moving the efficiency bar further with the world’s first commercially available compression-ignition gasoline engine enabling air/fuel ratios exceeding 30:1, vs. the std. 14.7:1 with no increase in emissions and a 20-30 percent increase in fuel economy. That is the future. Here is the present. Mazda achieved the automotive industry’s highest overall fuel efficiency results with a 0.4 mpg increase to a 29.6 adjusted mpg and the first-place ranking for the fifth year in a row according to the EPA’s 2017 CO2 and Fuel Economy Trends Report. Mazda is focusing on a future in which society can coexist with automobiles with no sacrifice. Hyundai Within the same report, Hyundai achieved the automotive industry’s largest fuel efficiency improvement from 2015 to 2016 with a 1.3 mpg increase to a 28.8 adjusted mpg rating and is now in second place, up from fifth just a year ago. Mike O’Brien, Hyundai VP, Product, Corporate and Digital Planning: 2018 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV-29 A bokeh shot of the Ioniq PHV in deep shade at Hyundai North American HQ late last year. Hyundai’s focus on lighter weight designs, smaller displacement direct injection and direct injection with turbocharging std. engines, hybrids, PHEVs and BEVs. Hyundai’s Sonata HEV/PHEV and Ioniq HEV/PHEV/BEV each provide large increases in efficiency which in turn move the brands entire lineup average higher. All the while providing an even better driving experience, a safer occupant space, and even more performance. 2016 MY EPA Standards and Performance Comparisons From the reports details. eight out of the thirteen largest manufacturers generated deficits relative to their 2016 model year standards, but used credits from previous model years to comply. The shortfall OEMs included GM, Ford, FCA, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Kia, and VW. Together, Mazda and Hyundai are leading the efficiency charge while at the same time being saddled with the highest efficiency targets to begin with!
Honorable mentions (by me!) to Honda, Nissan and Subaru. These are the other 3 that beat their targets.
