The final rule for the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards was published in March 2010. Under this rule, each light vehicle model produced for sale in the United States will have a fuel economy target based on its footprint. A vehicle's footprint is defined as the wheelbase (the distance from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle) times the average track width (the distance between the center lines of the tires) of the vehicle in square feet. The CAFE levels that must be met by the fleet of each manufacturer will be determined by computing the sales-weighted harmonic average of the targets applicable to each of the manufacturer's passenger cars and light trucks.

Final MY 2011 – 2016 Passenger Car Fuel Economy Targets
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Final MY 2011-2016 Light Truck Fuel Economy Targets
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Based on the forecast of the vehicle fleet, average required fuel economies were calculated. The combined average required fuel economy for cars and light trucks in 2012 is 29.7 mpg, rising to 34.1 mpg by 2016. The required average for cars is about 30% higher than that of light trucks.

Required Average Fuel Economy, 2012-2016
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Supporting Information

For detailed data on the Final Passenger Car and Light Truck Fuel Economy Targets graphs, see the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site.

Average Required Fuel Economy, MY 2012-1016
Model YearCarsLight TrucksCombined Cars and Light Trucks
201233.325.429.7
201334.226.030.5
201434.926.631.3
201536.227.532.6
201637.828.834.1

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 75, No. 88, May 7, 2010, p. 25330 (PDF 5.6 MB) on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Web site. Download Adobe Reader.

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