Australia's new car fleet: fuel consumption trade-offs 1985-2005

Available information indicates that average fuel consumption of both existing and new private passenger vehicles has not improved appreciably in Australia in recent years, despite increasing fuel prices, improved technology, government and industry initiatives and increasing public concerns over energy use, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As new vehicles comprise the prime source of change in the overall vehicle fleet, factors behind their fuel consumption performance were investigated in more detail over the period 1985 to 2005. Analysis of new vehicle market share data, which considers differences in average fuel consumption by market segment, indicated conflicting trends in buyer choice. Increasing market share of the new car market by fuel efficient light and small cars almost doubled, but was matched by increasing sales of sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Vehicle attribute analysis indicated a modest reduction in average fuel consumption in the range just below 10 to 15 percent was common across all segments over the analysis period. Simultaneously, average masses increased in the range 10 to 40 percent while acceleration times improved by more than 10 percent, both developments negatively impacting fuel consumption.