Saturday, July 13, 2013

GM Plans For Eight 40 MPG Vehicles By 2017 [Video]

GM plans to produce at least eight vehicles capable of getting 40 mpg or better by 2017. This is all part of its plan to increase fuel economy and decrease emissions throughout its fleet.
Currently they’ve only got four vehicles that get over 40 mpg so although eight might not seem like much, that’s double the current figure. The four cars that meet the mark are the 2013 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze Eco, the 2013 Sonic hatchback with turbo and the 2013 Sonic sedan with turbo.
There are three models for 2014 that they can add to the list. These include the Chevrolet Cruze diesel, the Chevrolet Spark EV and the Cadillac ELR which will leave them just one shy of their goal for 2017.
United States corporate average fuel economy fleet standards will be 35.5 mpg by model year 2016 so there’s pressure on all manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency sooner rather than later. The number will rise all the way up to 54.5 mpg by model year 2025 which will be a whole new hurdle for auto manufacturers to jump.
Chrysler only has two vehicles meeting the 40 mpg goal right now in the 2013 Dodge Dart Aero and the 2013 Fiat 500 electric vehicle while Ford leads the pack with 8 vehicles from the 2013 and 2014 model years making the list.
Ford’s list of most fuel efficient cars includes the C-Max Hybrid, C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, Fusion Hybrid, Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, Focus Electric, and certain Focus and Fiestas equipped with specific packages.
GM’s plan also includes a goal of having 500,000 vehicles on the road by 2017 that would be at least partly powered by electricity. This would include plug-ins, pure electrics and hybrid vehicles. They’ve got a little way to go to hit that number as they had only 179,801 electrified vehicles on the road in 2012. This was up from 48,108 in 2011 so although the goal is a lofty one, it’s one they believe they can achieve.

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