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Article: Ford SUV fuel economy goal is elusive.(sport utility vehicles, Ford Motor Co.)(Statistical Data Included)
- Article from:
- Automotive News
- Article date:
- April 15, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Eighteen months after former CEO Jacques Nasser vowed with fanfare that Ford Motor Co. would boost the fuel economy of its sport-utility fleet 25 percent to 23 mpg by 2005, the automaker has made little progress toward that goal.
In the first year of that effort, the 2001 model year, the sales-weighted fuel economy average of its sport-utility fleet jumped 7 percent, from 18 mpg to 19.25 mpg. That leap was driven by the Ford Escape, a compact sport-utility that went on sale in September 2000 and was not included in the 18-mpg calculation.
Ford doesn't expect to see a similar jump this year, but it is sticking by its promise of a 25 percent improvement.
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