Mazda has recently announced their intentions to up the fuel efficiency on their entire lineup of cars by 30%. The new engines will reportedly make their debut sometime in 2011 with the automaker first focusing on their 2.0-liter 4 cyclinder engine.

Mazda says that new technology coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission will give the engine a city fuel efficiency boost from 22mpg to 32mpg and a highway boost from 32mpg to 42mpg. There’s no official word on which Mazda model will be getting the boost first but Automotive News believes the MX5 or Mazda5 are likely candidates.

We’ll keep you posted as more news is made available.

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It seems that Ford’s Executive Chairman of the Board isn’t convinced about the Chevy Volt’s 230mpg claim. In fact, he isn’t even convinced that Nissan’s Leaf EV should be rated at 367mpg like the company said it would.

It’s not the automakers fault, he says, but instead the EPA who uses meaningless method of determining the fuel efficiency of such vehicles. Below is a quote Mr. Ford gave to Green Car Advisor concerning the matter:

“The government will have to come up with a meaningful number for customers – a user-friendly label. And I think they will. I can’t dispute that number, but I’m not sure it’s relevant to the customer either.

Mr. Ford may be onto something as it just doesn’t seem right to base all electric vehicles on the amount of gas they would use. I think instead they should just focus on consumers how much electricity the cars will use for every mile they are driven. Then again, consumers could probably just settle with knowing the vehicle’s range given a predetermined amount of charging.

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Having announced that the Volt would get 230mpg, GM most likely thought that they would have other automakers shaking in their booties. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case with Nissan who have stepped in to say that their Leaf EV is also a very fuel efficient car. Just how fuel efficient, you ask? Something to the tune of 367 mpg.

Below is a tweet from Nissan’s EV twitter account:

Nissan Leaf = 367 mpg, no tailpipe, and no gas required. Oh yeah, and it’ll be affordable too!

While this most likely isn’t confirmed by the EPA either, Nissan seems pretty confident that their Leaf EV will be far more fuel efficient than GM’s Chevy Volt. We’ll have to wait until both cars hit the market before we pass final judgement.

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Despite GM stating that the EPA had given their Chevy Volt a rating of 230mpg the EPA themselves has chimed in to let them know this is not the case. It seems that the EPA hasn’t even tested the Volt yet which means they are unable to give the car an accurate rating.

Below is a quote straight from the EPA:

EPA has not tested a Chevy Volt and therefore cannot confirm the fuel economy values claimed by GM. EPA does applaud GM’s commitment to designing and building the car of the future – an American-made car that will save families money, significantly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create good-paying American jobs. We’re proud to see American companies and American workers leading the world in the clean energy innovations that will shape the 21st century economy.

So I guess we’ll have to wait until the EPA actually gets their hands on the Chevy Volt before we see any rock solid numbers so as for now, the Volt’s 230mpg claim remains unofficial.

via GreenCarAdvisor

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Just yesterday we let you know that GM was gearing up to announce the mileage rating for their much publicized Chevy Volt. Well today, just on cue, they have announced the information; the Chevy Volt will get 230mpg.

This comes as news after the EPA has determined exactly how to rate extended-range all-electrics such as the Volt who say that the car will consume 25kWh for every 100 miles driven. Couple that with the minimal gas tank featured on the car and that is how they came to the 230 mpg rating.

The EPA hopes to fine tune this method of rating and will get back to us when they figure out what consumers are more likely to get during everyday use.

via Autoblog

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Those looking to get a more economical vehicle will might want to set their eyes on the 2010 Subary Legacy which sports a EPA of 31 mpg highway and 23 in town on the 2.5i model with CVT transmission.

Also offered is a 6MT transmission with 27 mpg highway and 19 in town. The Legacy 2.5 GT with manual tranmission and the 3.6R with 5-speed auto will net you 25mpg on the highway and 18 in town.

Whatever model you choose you’re getting AWD, room for 5 passengers and enough power to please any motor head (ok maybe not any). But you’ll get all of this at a modest $19,995.

Read (Autoblog)

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