Average Fuel Economy for New Cars Sold in March 2012 Rises to 23.4 MPG According to TrueCar.com's TrueMPG

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueCar.com, the authority on new car pricing, trends and forecasting, today provided actual fuel economy numbers from March light vehicle auto sales that indicate TrueMPG™ increased to 23.4 mpg in March 2012 compared to 22.0 mpg in March 2011, and increased from February 2012 at 23.2 mpg. Just four years ago, in March 2008, TrueMPG was 20.3 mpg.

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"Gas prices are nearing $4 per gallon nationwide and consumers are getting reluctant to pay any additional money at the pump when buying a new vehicle," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence at TrueCar.com. "Consumer buying behavior has shifted and vehicles today are more fuel efficient than ever, contributing to significant gains in fuel economy of over three miles per gallon since 2008."

Below is how the top seven manufacturers fared comparing overall mpg, broken out by car and truck mpg:

According to TrueCar.com, the TrueMPG™ for vehicles sold by U.S. manufacturers averaged 21.3 MPG in March 2012, up from 20.5 MPG in March 2011. European manufacturers increased their average fuel economy for vehicles sold from 20.5 MPG to 22.7 MPG; Japanese manufacturers increased their average fuel economy from last year at 23.6 MPG to 25.0 MPG; and South Korean manufacturers increased their average fuel economy for vehicles from 26.0 MPG to 28.1 MPG.

Below is a snapshot of a few vehicle segments and how they compare from March 2012 versus March 2011:

TrueMPG^™ is an easy-to-understand and objective way to comprehend monthly fuel economy averages by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings based on estimated and/or actual monthly automotive sales-weighted data.  TrueCar.com is seeking to provide transparency and truth in average fuel economy, providing an alternative view to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings that can be confusing and misleading.  TrueMPG^™ helps keep in perspective what each manufacturer's average miles per gallon per car sold using EPA's window sticker.

TrueMPG^™ computes monthly average fuel economy by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments by using actual sales data or forecasted sales data for the current month. Calculations start at the trim level, taking into account EPA fuel economy data including engine size and drivetrain that affect a vehicle's MPG ratings; the sales share from each trim level is then calculated to create an average for each model.  Brand level data is calculated by the sales share of each model and the manufacturer data is then based on the share of each brand, providing an accurate and completely data driven picture of actual measured MPGs in the market place. TrueCar utilizes EPA's average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior.

For additional data on TrueMPG by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segment, please visit the TrueCar Truth Blog. The TrueMPG data will be released in February's TrueCar.com TrueTrends report.

About TrueCar, Inc.

TrueCar, Inc. is an automotive solutions provider focused on changing how cars are sold by providing a significantly better customer experience while helping qualified dealer partners to gain incremental market share and reduce costs.  TrueCar is a visual publisher of new car transaction data.  TrueCar price reports help both dealers and consumers to agree on the parameters of a fair deal by providing an accurate, comprehensive and simple understanding of what others actually paid recently for an identically-equipped vehicle both locally and nationally.  TrueCar works with a national network of dealers that provide a no-hassle car buying experience to assist some of the nation's largest and most well respected membership and service organizations to meet the auto buying needs of their members and customers.  TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA and has offices in San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX.  With 131 percent annual growth since 2006, TrueCar has connected hundreds of thousands of consumers with dealers nationwide resulting in the sale of over 400,000 vehicles and is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information.

You can follow TrueCar on Twitter and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook. 

Disclaimer

This press release and the information contained herein is for noncommercial use on "as-is, as available" basis and may be used for informational purposes only.  TrueCar makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information contained in this press release and the results of the use of such information, including but not limited to implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.  The information contained in this press release may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.  Neither TrueCar nor any of its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates or respective partners, officers, or directors, employees or agents shall be held liable for any damages, whether direct, incidental, indirect, special or consequential, including without limitation lost revenues or lost profits, arising from or in connection with your use or reliance on the information presented in this press release.

SOURCE TrueCar.com