I'm not sure why the EPA's surprised. The carmakers are still a long way off from the goal: "CAFE requires each automaker’s sales-weighted fleet, including light trucks, to achieve an average fuel economy of 35.5 mpg (6.6 L/100 km) by 2016 and 54.5 mpg (4.3 L/100 km) by 2025. As of June, UMTRI reports a 25.5 mpg (9.2 L/100 km) average..... "Approaches to boost efficiency are widespread, from reducing vehicle component mass & mitigating friction to downsizing engines and employing more forced induction & direct fuel injection." “What we are finding is manufacturers are not only bringing technology in faster than we thought they would, they are also bringing different technology to fruition than what we anticipated,” Olechiw says." EPA Says Industry Ahead of CAFE Curve | Politics content from WardsAuto
