If going to the gas station fuels your concerns these days, you’re not alone. Many factors have caused gasoline prices to fluctuate, including rising global demand for crude oil, tighter supplies and instability in some major oil-producing nations.
The good news: Automakers are working to squeeze more miles out of a gallon of fuel and still meet customers’ demands for powerful, fully equipped vehicles. The average vehicle today is 900 pounds heavier and twice as powerful as an early ’80s model.
According to one major American car company, the best way to save the most fuel and preserve performance is to combine advanced technologies into larger, higher-fuel-using vehicles. These include:
-> Active Fuel Management™, a technology developed by GM, which automatically lets the engine run on half of its cylinders when full power is not needed, such as at a stop light.
-> Six-speed transmissions, which save fuel and boost performance because of their wider gear ratio spread.
Besides making more vehicles that get 30 mpg or better on the highway, GM can help us reduce the use of gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions. GM is a...