Has GM Been Caught Fudging Economy Figures For The Better Part Of A Decade?

General Motors issued a stop-sale order last week to its dealers of 2016 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia SUVs, calling for those models not to be sold until a correction could be made to the vehicle's window stickers. The concern is that the stickers overstate fuel economy by 1 to 2 mpg. A GM spokesman told Consumer Reports that the automaker is in the process of updating those figures in advertising materials, marketing, and websites, in addition to the window stickers on about 60,000 crossovers currently on dealer lots.

However, when Consumer Reports looked at our own historical test data next to fuel economy numbers from the Environmental Protection Agency and GM's own claims, it seemed like there might be more to this story. It's possible that the stated figures for the Enclave, Traverse, Acadia, and also the discontinued Saturn Outlook may have been incorrect for years.

TheSteve - 5/18/2016 11:42:33 AM

+1 Boost

Falsifying numbers appears to be an industry issue, and not just an isolated incident limited to a "handful of engineers" at Volkswagen.

USNA1999 - 5/18/2016 2:06:04 PM

0 Boost

You are absolutely correct, the other manufacturers haven't been caught YET.

TheSteve - 5/20/2016 12:57:17 PM

+1 Boost

USNA1999: Please read this article's headline. GM is yet another company that has been caught. There are other reports about other companies all over the 'Net, too. Google is your friend.

MDarringer - 5/18/2016 9:30:25 PM

+1 Boost

The real culprit is testing procedure that encourages trickery to to cook the numbers. I'd rather have steady-state MPG numbers for 35 mph, 55 mph, and 70 mph. That would simplify matters tremendously.

Ford's Ecoboosts give impressive results in the lab, but they simply are not any better in real life than the naturally aspirated engines they--in theory--supplant.

carloslassiter - 5/18/2016 11:46:54 PM

+1 Boost

Does MDarringer work for GM?

MDarringer - 5/19/2016 8:44:49 AM

+1 Boost

I work for myself actually. You'll find that most new cars do not produce the MPG figures they do in the lab.