News story: "Hyundai, Kia overstated gas mileage estimates"

[JDgreen227]

According to what I just read, the EPA plans to penalize the automaker for overstating the fuel mileage on most of their models during the past three years, saying over 900,000 cars and SUV's were sold with window stickers showing mpg figures 1 to 6 mpg over the correct figure, depending on the model. The company has issued an apology for the errors, saying they were unintentional and promised to repay the owners of the vehicles for the difference in mileage. Such payments will cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars, because they will be made annually for as long as the customers own their vehicles.

As for me, I have never owned a Hyundai/Kia product and likely never will, yet I wonder if this story was created and is developing because the Big 3 automakers here are concerned about the explosive growth of Hyundai (a 30% increase in sales over the past two years) and Kia's 60% increase during the same period. What do you think?

BTW, my sister owned one of the first Hyundai's imported to the USA back in the middle '80's...I remember her telling me quote: "They must be a good car if they are made in CANADA....(emphasis added) that shows how much my sister knew about cars at the time....

[CNC Dan]

I have a 2012 Tucson an get 2-4 mpg more than the rating.

[ronjhall]

According to what I just read, the EPA plans to penalize the automaker for overstating the fuel mileage on most of their models during the past three years, saying over 900,000 cars and SUV's were sold with window stickers showing mpg figures 1 to 6 mpg over the correct figure, depending on the model. The company has issued an apology for the errors, saying they were unintentional and promised to repay the owners of the vehicles for the difference in mileage. Such payments will cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars, because they will be made annually for as long as the customers own their vehicles.

As for me, I have never owned a Hyundai/Kia product and likely never will, yet I wonder if this story was created and is developing because the Big 3 automakers here are concerned about the explosive growth of Hyundai (a 30% increase in sales over the past two years) and Kia's 60% increase during the same period. What do you think?

BTW, my sister owned one of the first Hyundai's imported to the USA back in the middle '80's...I remember her telling me quote: "They must be a good car if they are made in CANADA....(emphasis added) that shows how much my sister knew about cars at the time....

Your sister may have been partly right. Hyundai had a assembly plant in Quebec for about 5 years. Very nice resort area. I got to visit a couple of times for my job.

[Western]

Sometime back a new show (20/20 i believe) had a segment on just this, but showed the EPA's testing was restrictive and no inline with actual driving habits, but just on a drive wheel roller, thus making the fuel ratings uncomparable with actual driving mpg. In essence all mps where scured.(sp)

[Oaktree]

An automaker inflating gas mileage claims? First time for everything!

[LD1]

Thats just what we need now, more expensive "low end" vehichles.

Not sure how that will help anything??

A few years back, The EPA re-did all their figures cause they were in-accurate in the way they tested vehichles and werent realistic. This was across the board on ALL makes.....I never got a refund.

And what ever happened to EPA estimated mpg????

I have always been able to do atleast 10% better than the claims because i drive conservativly.

I think this is obsurd. The hyundai and kia are NOT going to be penalized. It will be the consumer in the long run cause they will just pass on the costs.

[dave1949]

... snip ...

I think this is obsurd. The hyundai and kia are NOT going to be penalized. It will be the consumer in the long run cause they will just pass on the costs.

I think the EPA estimates are more accurate than before they changed them. In any case, an automaker who pays fines and passes those costs on to consumers, becomes less competitive against those who did not pay a fine and do not have to build that fine into their costs. In that sense, they are penalized.

[houstonscott]

Not sure how that would work, the estimates on the sticker are government EPA estimates. They almost always over estimate gas by + 10% and under estimate diesel by -10-20%. This started with Honda and Toyota hybrids when people began to find in real world driving they didn't get even close to what was advertised. They brought a law suite over the issue.


HS

[dave1949]

It seems like any car tested by EPA standard methods, should achieve the mpg estimate on the window sticker +/- some percentage of normal variation. It isn't a test of real-life mileage, it is a matter of testing repeat-ability.

[vwnotrunning]

I would think alot of EPA testing would be skeewed by companies tuning for the EPA test and not for real world driving. But at least is does give us the ability to compare, we just do not fully understand what we are comparing. My experience is usually to do better that EPA estimates, but I am older and slower than I used to be!