Fuel Economy

While electric vehicles continue to grab the green-car spotlight, an older technology has quietly emerged as a player in the fuel economy wars: turbocharging. Once the province of performance cars, turbochargers now power economy cars, family sedans and even full-sized trucks. Turbos now account for an estimated 13% of U.S. auto sales, according to Honeywell International Inc., a leading turbo supplier. That's double what it was in 2010. The increase is driven by ever-stricter federal fuel economy standards.

Busted. The EPA announced Friday that Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America had overstated the fuel economy rating on nearly a million vehicles made from 2011-13. In a statement issued Friday, Hyundai blamed the discrepancy on "procedural errors" at its testing facility in Korea. Photos: Vehicles with overstated fuel economy claims A complete list of affected Hyundai vehicles is here . The list includes the Accent, Elantra, Veloster and Veloster Turbo, Sonata Hybrid, Azera, Genesis, Tucson, and Santa Fe Sport.

Hyundai and Kia overstated the fuel economy on more than one-third of the vehicles they sold in recent years, an embarrassing acknowledgment for two of the fastest-growing auto brands in the U.S. The South Korean automakers issued an apology and said they would give special debit cards to nearly a million owners to make up for the difference in the lower miles per gallon logged by the vehicles. The discrepancies were found by the Environmental Protection Agency, which began investigating after consumers complained.

2013 Porsche Boxster S Base price: $61,850 (including destination charge) Price tested: $84,120 Powertrain: 3.4-liter, direct-injected flat six-cylinder engine; six-speed manual transmission Horsepower: 315 at 6,700 rpm Torque: 266 pound-feet at 4,500-5,800 rpm 0-60: 4.8 seconds Curb weight: 2,910 pounds Wheelbase: 97.4 inches Overall length: 172.2 inches EPA fuel economy: 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway Observed...

Fuel economy is the top feature buyers consider when shopping for a new car, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports. The magazine, an influential force on car buying choices, said that 37% of the respondents in an April telephone survey listed fuel economy as their top consideration when shopping for a new car. Quality was a distant second at 17% followed by safety at 16%, value at 14% and performance at just 6%.  “These results...

With national gasoline prices averaging about $3.80 a gallon and above $4 in many states, consumer auto information sites are taking a new look at the fuel economy of vehicles and making recommendations. Edmunds.com has a report about the vehicles that have made the biggest leaps in fuel efficiency, and the gains are pretty startling. It's obvious the automakers know that gas prices are top of mind with consumers. Edmunds looked at the fuel economy of vehicles in the 2008 model year and again this year.

Gas prices continue their relentless climb and consumers are reacting.  Small cars were the hottest segment of auto sales last month. About 24% of the vehicles sold last month were small cars, according to Erich Merkle, the sales analyst at  Ford Motor Co.  That compares to less than 20% just two months ago, he said. The consumer move toward purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles appears to be more than just a reaction to gasoline price spikes. It is a much longer trend.

There's nothing really new about the federal fuel economy standards that were finalized Tuesday - they were announced more than a year ago and have changed little since - but now that we're on the verge of a presidential election, they're generating more political heat. "Gov. Romney opposes the extreme standards that President Obama has imposed, which will limit choices for American families," said Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "The president tells voters that his regulations will save them thousands of dollars at the pump, but always forgets to mention that the savings will be wiped out by having to pay thousands of dollars more upfront.

American drivers appear to be slowly getting fuel economy religion. The average fuel economy for all vehicles sold last year climbed by 1.3 miles per gallon, or 6%, to a record high of 23.8 mpg,  according to University of Michigan researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle. The fuel economy of cars people purchased over the last year increased even though gas prices have dipped slightly. AAA said the average price of a gallon of regular gas stood at $3.297 as of Monday, compared with $3.371 a year ago. PHOTOS: Best car values for fuel economy Since 2008, the first full year of monitoring by Sivak and Schoettle, fuel economy has risen 14% -- from 20.9 mpg. On a monthly basis, fuel economy in December was 23.9 mpg, a slight drop from 24.1 mpg in November.

Americans continue to look for fuel-efficient vehicles when they go car shopping. The average fuel economy - what is on the window sticker of a new car -- of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in October was 24.1 mpg -- the highest level yet. It was up 4 mpg, or 20%, from October 2007, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The 24.1 mpg is up from 23 mpg in October a year ago and from 22.3 mpg in the same month in 2010. Researchers at the institute said their numbers are adjusted to include the new ratings - down in most cases by 1 to 2 fewer miles per gallon depending on the vehicle - for the Hyundais and Kias that the Environmental Protection Agency found had inflated mileage ratings.