New EPA MPG sticker ratings changed on 2011 New Cars add to consumer confusion.

Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958 Back in the day of the Monroney Sticker, AKA: Manufacturers Suggested Retail Selling Price, named after Oklahoma Senator Almer “Mike” Monroney, (the original proponent of consistent pricing of cars regardless of where they were sold by virtue of his instigating the official Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958, window price stickers had to have consistent information including…

• The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP)
• Engine and transmission specifications
• Standard equipment and warranty details
• Optional equipment and pricing
• City and highway fuel economy ratings, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency

Historically car makers continued to offer their own “estimates” of fuel economy, in many cases based on putting the car on a set of rollers and let it run in-place while the engine burned the gas. Magically the computation was born in a hygienic lab where the light of an eight hour day had no bearing on the results.  As consumers took to the road, Route 66 beckoning, they often argued that their cars got nowhere near the mileage out of a tank of gas, as was purported, neither city or highway, in actual human driving. The updated look of the Monroney sticker in 2008 would have looked like this…            

2011 New Monroney MSRP Window Sticker #FAIL

Fast forward to the year 2011, car makers are pushed by the Obama administration to revisit the calculation with real-time examples of driving across the country, in all types of weather conditions, temperatures and speeds. The might collection of black-box data found in many of these “mules” served to provide the auto makers with a complete EKG of the car’s internal parts under all extremes.  Nonetheless,  the industry balked at a simplified A,B,C rating for the fuel economy of a vehicle.  The new Monroney sticker became this… 1. explains what type of engine the vehicle has. 2.  This is the quick way to see the combined miles per gallon the car burns compared to other models. 3.  This gives you the range of MPG of similar models ion this class of car. 4. Your anticipated fuel cost based on #,50 a gallon cost and 15,000 miles per year. 5.  Consumption of number of gallons per 100 miles of mixed driving. 6.  Annual Fuel Cost 7.   1-10 being the best: how eco-friendly is this car? 8. CO-2 emission rating? 9.  SMOG rating. Another eco-friendly measurement? 10. explanation of how this information may not be true at all… based on your driving habits. CYA. 11.  Cool Bar-code for more information. 12. Website of the government agency where you can complain. Not really, but that’s where the buck stops. Over 1.1 million cars are involved in the Kia-Hyundai bogus fuel economy ratings scandal of 2012, 900,000 of which are in the US..  Competitors should be checking their facts to be 100% sure their cars meet the the ink on the sticker, as officials estimate this debacle could cost Hyundai and Kia 100 million dollars and serious market-share.  Click here to read more…  How to get your REFUND if you own a KIA or HYUNDAI           Hyundai Veloster, hatchback sportscars involved in overstated fuel estimates by Hyundai. ———————————————- Sarah Lee Marks is MyCarlady. She has over 23+ years of experience. She writes about cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. MyCarlady offers free car buying advice, and private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Call Sarah Lee for more information: 702-521-7546. Join the MyCarlady newsletter to be kept up-to-date on this and other important car information. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ]]>