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Energy & Sustainability » Scientific American Volume 311, Issue 5 » Graphic Science

Toyota and Honda Have the Most Fuel-Efficient CarsContrary to claims, not everyone is No. 1

By Mark Fischetti and Kevin Schultz | Oct 14, 2014

Automobile companies seem eager to claim that they have the most fuel-efficient vehicles, but they can't all be tops. Data from the U.S.government show that car fleets from Japanese firms Toyota and Honda have consistently been above the Corporate Average FuelEconomy (CAFE) standards that manufacturers are supposed to meet (small graphs below). Historically, the big U.S. makers—GM,Ford and Chrysler—have hewn close to the standard. Firms such as Porsche that focus on high performance tend to fall short. “They paythe fines,” says Brandon Schoettle, sustainability project manager at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. “Andthey probably work that into the price of the car.”

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ONLINESee details on fines, and how companies use credits to help meet CAFE standards, at ScientificAmerican.com/nov2014/graphic-science

This article was originally published with the title "Who Has the Best Fuel Economy?."

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