Even with SUV and crossover utility vehicles sales surging, the average fuel efficiency of new vehicles sold in August set a new record high for the U.S., according to a new report.
Overall, the mileage for new cars and trucks averaged 24.9 MPG, according to Michael Sivak with the University of Michigan.
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"I am not surprised that overall fuel economy is improving," says Sivak, who has been tracking fuel efficiency for the last six years. "Buyers are selecting more fuel-efficient vehicles within each class of vehicles."
With the sales of 2013 model year vehicles winding down as automakers transition to 2014 models, the University of Michigan calculates the average fuel economy of model year '13 vehicles sold from October 2012 through last month is 24.7 mpg.
That's up 1.2 mpg from model year '12 vehicles.