Fuel Efficient Motoring

The auto industry is changing as the demand for fuel efficient vehicles increases. The Big Three known for producing large vehicles are now in the process of developing and producing fuel efficient vehicles. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have been facing their toughest battle yet with Asian car manufacturers who come to the United States auto market with fuel efficient vehicles. In order to stem the tide, the Big Three began developing smaller vehicles.

General Motors came up with the Saturn Aura while Ford sent out the Edge. Chrysler, on the other hand, entered with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. These three models are currently catching the attention of car buyers. The popularity of these three auto modes may lead some to think that the vehicles are the best selling auto models of their respective manufacturers.

In reality, these vehicles are just becoming popular among car buyers and the larger vehicles produced by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are still their best selling models. These fuel efficient vehicles show the way for the future of auto production for the Big Three. The American car manufacturers have been criticized for not coming up with such vehicles as the price of gasoline continue to increase. The arrival of the Aura, Edge, and Wrangler Unlimited though shows that even Detroit is jumping on the bandwagon of carmakers manufacturing fuel misers.

The popularity of these vehicles creates a “halo” effect. This means that the fuel efficient vehicles generate interest among car buyers. Interested individuals will then go to a dealership to inquire about the particular gas miser. Dealerships also display other auto models which car buyers would never consider if they have not seen it personally. This means that car manufacturers not only benefit from the sale of these fuel efficient vehicles but the sale also creates a way for them to introduce other auto models to car buyers.

“They are standard bearers for those brands and represent what those brands are about,” says Jack Nerad, the executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Brook as to the significance of these fuel efficient American cars. “They’re game-changers for brands trying to redefine themselves,” he added.

The disparity between sales of these fuel efficient vehicles compared to large vehicles is still great though. According to data provided by General Motors, they have sold 4,323 units of the Saturn Aura in April this year, complete with its standard features and is made easily available with Saturn roof racks. While the number of Auras sold for a single month is respectable, it pales in comparison to the number of Chevrolet Silverados which is reported to be at 49,436 units just for the month of April.

For Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford Motor Company, the best selling auto model is the Ford F-Series. In April of this year, Ford sold 56,692 F-Series trucks. That eclipsed the total number of the Ford Edge sold for the same month which according to Ford is 9,134 units. The same can be said between the Wrangler and Chrysler Group’s best selling Dodge Ram. For the month of April, 10,776 units of the Jeep Wrangler were sold but the 31,503 units of Dodge Rams sold for the same month shadows that sales feat.

Originally published here.

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive.buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

The call for fuel efficient vehicles is increasing and so is the number of hybrid vehicles launched by automakers. Asian automakers are leading the pack with their hybrid cars. Toyota is the most famous, of course, with its compact Prius. Hybrids in the past are usually small cars, but when American automakers are concerned, their answer is to come up with large SUV hybrids.

Detroit automaker General Motors recently announced that they are expecting their SUV hybrids to be popular among auto buyers as these hybrids consume less fuel than the gasoline-only variants, reported The USA Today. According to the automaker, about 40 percent more fuel is consumed by non-hybrid SUVs compared to the hybrid variants. What this means is that the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrids and the GMC Yukon Hybrids are expected to have a gas mileage of about 19 to 20 mpg when it comes to city driving.

Initially General Motors announced that these hybrid SUVs are expected to offer 25 percent fuel consumption savings. The 40 percent prediction by the automaker will give their SUV hybrids with gas mileages comparable to some midsize or full size sedans. Furthermore, the fuel efficiency of these large SUVs will be better than some crossover SUVs.

The crossover SUV segment is currently the most competitive in the auto market. The reason for this is that crossover SUVs are designed to have the flexibility of SUVs and the fuel efficiency, handling, and performance of a car. But with the presence of large SUV hybrids with fuel efficiency better than crossovers, it can be expected that it will be making waves in the auto market.

The introduction of the SUV hybrids is one of the steps being taken by the automaker to meet the demand for eco-friendly vehicles. The hybrid variants of the GMC Yukon and the Chevrolet Tahoe are expected to appear in showrooms across the country this fall. The SUVs will use the two-mode hybrid system that was developed by the automaker in collaboration with BMW and Chrysler.

Aside from the Tahoe and the Yukon, General Motors is also planning to use the two-mode hybrid system with other nameplates for the next model year. The Cadillac Escalade is slated to receive a hybrid powertrain next year and so are Saturn vehicles. With General Motors’ turnaround plan, it looks as if every marque under it will be given a hybrid. These SUVs are expected to do well in the market, something that the defunct Geo brand failed to do with its Geo oxygen sensor-equipped vehicles.

Mark Cieslak, the chief engineer for General Motors’ full size trucks, said that the demand for full-size SUVs is still present. With more fuel efficient SUVs coming into dealerships this fall, General Motors is expecting to boost sales and increase market share in the country.

If the hybrid SUVs from General Motors an indeed save more fuel than crossovers, this will give the automaker the upper hand in terms of sales. Americans are known for their affinity for roomy vehicles like SUVs. With hybrid SUVs, auto buyers can enjoy the flexibility of these large vehicles and at the same time consume less fuel.

General Motors announced that they are planning to produce 10,000 hybrid SUVs this year. According to The USA Today, this is an ambitious mark since no hybrid SUVs have already been released thus the automaker cannot gauge the level of acceptance for hybrid SUVs.

Originally published here.

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

Motor vehicles generally consume a huge quantity of energy resources and similarly creating a large amount of air pollution. Gasoline for vehicles also increases one’s personal domestic budget. We can obviously purchase more fuel efficient cars that have several advantages impacting positively from personal to national level.

Recent increase in oil prices, worries for Malaysian climate change and energy security have turned attention back to fuel economy in the world. Fuel economy in automobiles is the amount of fuel that is required to drive the vehicle.
The increasing prices of gas greatly influence the national economy as well as domestic savings which is of concern especially for gas-importing nations. Now, it is very important than ever for car buyers to check the fuel economy comparison when choosing a particular model.

If one really aims to save the fuel then considering used cars is a good option.

The second hand vehicles usually have completed the starting phases of depreciation and fuel consumption. Through focusing a nearly-new model which can be two to three years old, a vehicle can be found that offers similar performance, fuel economy, safety and the steadiness of a new car.

Car buyers are helped by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy through fuel economy guide to help them in choosing the most fuel efficient vehicle which can meet their demands.

Importance of fuel economy

1. Save money
According to research studies, one can save as much as $200-$1,500 in fuel costs every year by choosing the most efficient vehicle that meets the demands of the buyers.

2. Reducing oil dependence cost
The policy of depending on oil makes oil importers and developed countries exposed to oil market manipulation and price hikes. Reducing dependence on foreign oil can be done by buying more fuel-efficient vehicles which will help strengthen the national energy security.
Approximately more than 20 million barrels of oil is used by the United States every day. The two third of it is used for transportation purposes. US spend about $5.7 billion a week on petroleum imports.

3. Reduce climate change
The climate change of Malaysia is affected by carbon dioxide from burning gasoline and diesel. Everyone can contribute their role to decrease climate change by reducing carbon footprint. Increases of large scale in greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere can result in Malaysian climate change.
More fuel is burned by vehicles with lower fuel economy. This creates more carbon dioxide. Every vehicle creates about 20 pounds of CO2 per gallon of gasoline of its consumption. Therefore, one can decrease the contribution to Malaysian climate change; the vehicle which has higher fuel economy should be selected. This means to select a vehicle that has a mileage of 25 miles per gallon rather than 2. By using fuel economy vehicles, the release of about 17 tons of greenhouse gases over a lifetime of vehicle can be prevented.

4. Increase energy sustainability
Oil is a resource that cannot be renewed and it cannot be sustained for our current rate of use. Its wise use will allow time to find alternate resources that will be more sustainable.

Originally published here.

You might also want to know how to increase gas mileage and how to calculate mpg. You can therefore, increase the fuel efficiency of your car.