The fleet of new cars and trucks sold to U.S. consumers averaged 21 miles per gallon in the 2008 model year, a modest increase over the previous year, with Honda and Hyundai having the most fuel-efficient fleets in America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported Friday. New vehicle fuel efficiency improved 2 percent in 2008 from 20.6 mpg for the 2007 model year. The government projected it will improve slightly to 21.1 mpg in the 2009 model year. The EPA figures are based on real-world estimates for city and highway mileage found on window stickers at dealer showrooms, instead of mileage values developed through laboratory testing. Honda Motor Co. led the industry in 2008 with 23.9 mpg, followed by Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. with 23.7 mpg, and Toyota Motor Corp. with 22.8 mpg. Volkswagen AG's fleet averaged 22.3 mpg, followed by Nissan Motor Co. with 21.9 and BMW AG with 21.2. General Motors Co. led U.S. automakers with 19.7 mpg, followed by Ford Motor Co. with 19.4 and Chrysler Group LLC with 19.3. The EPA projects Ford will increase its fuel efficiency by more than 1 mpg in the 2009 model year and overtake GM.

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EPA: U.S. Fleet of 2009 Cars, Trucks Only Slightly More Efficient Than 2008 Models

BMW's announcement this week that its ActiveHybrid X6 crossover utility vehicle will carry a U.S. sticker price of nearly $90,000 was disappointing, but even more disappointing is the fact that the model isn't alone among hybrids priced well out of reach of most people. Toyota offers a Lexus LS 600h L for $107,300. The 7-Series Hybrid from BMW will surely be a six-figure car when it becomes available this spring. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid starts at $73,425. The list is frustratingly long. Our hawk-eyed colleagues at Edmunds' AutoObserver.com picked up on the trend and wrote about it in a piece that's as well written as it is informative. We encourage you to use your turn signal, pull to the side of the road and give it a read

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Another High-Priced Hybrid Won’t Do Much to Hybridize the Automotive Market

2010 LAND ROVER LR2 STYLING | [8 out of 10] Cars.com: “more distinctive and handsome than most SUVs ” ConsumerGuide: “cabin takes a cue from more expensive Range Rovers ” Edmunds: “plenty of leather and wood to go around” Land Rover has attained its place in the world, primarily due to a single model: the Range Rover . The … Browse Photos

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2010 Land Rover LR2

BMW announced today that its U.S.-bound 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 crossover utility vehicle will carry a base price of $89,725 and reach American showrooms early next month on the heels of its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show . The maker-described “one-of-a-kind Sports Active Coupe” (yes, BMW calls its

Autocar confirms that BMW has green-lighted a “MINI by Rolls-Royce,” featuring a “totally individual, coachbuilt” interiors finished at Rolls’ Goodwood plant. The Aston Martin Cygnet and Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari have been put on notice… as have the marketing geniuses who thought they were good ideas. At least Rolls-trimmed MINIs have good precedent.

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Whats Wrong With This Picture: Compact Co-Branding Rolls On Edition

BMW has been given a fairly impressive international branding opportunity: the company was just announced as the automotive partner of London 2012, which includes the upcoming Olympic games and Paralympic games. As part of the arrangement, BMW will provide roughly 4,000 vehicles to move athletes, officials, and others around the city during ..

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BMW: Automotive Partner Of 2012 Olympic/Paralympic Games

A rigorous new roof-strength standard means a lot fewer new models earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's “Top Safety Pick” award for 2010. This year, just 27 individual models were named Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, compared with last year's record 94 models that earned the award. Most of the reason so many new vehicles couldn't grab the brass ring comes down to a newly instituted roof-safety test presumed to indicate superior protection in rollovers, which are involved in about one-third of all fatal accidents.

Results from field tests of the MINI E have finally come in, and sadly, the EV didn’t exactly pass with flying colors. Aside from braking, handling, and other problems that our own John Voelcker discovered during his time behind the wheel, BMW learned that the biggest threat to the MINI E might be range-anxiety — even with the car’s ..

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The MINI E Isn’t Quite Ready For Its Close-Up

Think the new Z4 is a bloated boulevard cruiser unworthy of the roadster-implying Z badge? We’d tend to agree. Which is why we were chuffed to see renderings of a possible BMW 1 Series-based Z2 roadster in the most recent Auto Motor und Sport (print edition). Several Einser engines will be available say AM und

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Wild Ass Rumor Of The Day: Meet the 1 Series-based Roadster

“You’re going to see it of course in the 3 Series,” BMW’s Tom Baloga tells Inside Line, “and the 5 Series is a good possibility. If the performance [of such an engine] is sufficient in the X3, U.S. customers would likely accept it in the X5 as well.” The “it” he’s referring to is BMW’s

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BMW Four Cylinder Diesels Coming