New Window Labels On Dealerships
Date: Oct 2nd, 2007 7:55:13 am - Subscribe
Mood: cheeky
When buying a new vehicle, especially today, it is very important to check out how fuel efficient a car is. Manufacturers tell us that this or that car will consume this amount of fuel for every mile traveled. But of course, they are biased since they would tend to tell consumers ideal gas mileage. So consumers trusts more the figures provided by the EPA. But then again, there have been many reports that EPA's gas mileage computation which is posted on the windows of new vehicles is far from real world gas mileage of vehicles. This year, the EPA has formulated to a way to come up with a gas mileage rating system that will give consumers a good idea of how fuel efficient a vehicle is.
"This is a transition year, when some cars will still have the old labels and some cars will have the new ones," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "So consumers should be sure they're comparing vehicles with the same label format when considering fuel economy." Some consumers maybe confused that vehicles released this year consumes more fuel than their predecessors. But in reality, only the way that EPA calculates their gas mileage rating has changed.
"The labels and new calculations take into consideration many of the factors that have changed in the 20 years since the EPA last updated the labels. For example, we now tend to drive at higher speeds, with faster accelerations and while using more air conditioning. So consumers should be sure they're comparing vehicles with the same label format when considering fuel economy."
What the EPA has done is to tae into account various factors today which affects a vehicle's fuel consumption like weather, road conditions, posted speed limits, tire inflation, and others. In the past, these factors are not included in computing a vehicle's fuel efficiency.
"Fuel economy is important to both automakers and consumers," said McCurdy. "We're pleased to be able to give customers the most reliable information we can to help them achieve the best mileage possible," he concluded.
