Japan to set new standards for vehicle fuel economy

The government of Japan is working on new guidelines for vehicle fuel economy, in an effort to make Japanese automakers more competitive globally. The proposed standards, which will be open for public comment, will make it mandatory for automotive manufacturers to up their average fuel economy levels by 24.1% by 2020. For gasoline engines, average fuel economy will rise from 16.3 kilometers (km) per liter in Fiscal 2009 to 20.3 km per liter by 2020. Plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) are exempt from the new guidelines. The new standards do apply to hybrids such as Toyota’s Prius. (August 19, 2011)