After improving for six years, average gas mileage of all cars and trucks sold in the United States went into reverse in 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported last week. What brought the change? Toyota's and Honda's production fell by more than 500,000 vehicles, following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March of that year.
The data, contained in the EPA's annual mileage trends report, the government's most thorough look at fuel economy, present a sharp contrast to the post-bankruptcy and bailout happy talk of the U.S. auto industry. The report is a warning light on Detroit's dashboard.
The study compares fuel efficiency in 2011, the most recent year for which the agency has details, with 2010. In a blizzard of numbers, it demonstrates that General Motors and Chrysler are not pulling their weight—and that Toyota and Honda are delivering the mileage benefits Americans need.
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