Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ford Lowers Mileage Rating On C-Max Hybrid

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with an EPA crackdown.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: Ford Motor Company will reduce the fuel economy sticker on its new C-Max hybrid to 43 miles per gallon, down from its earlier estimate of 47.

As Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports, the change has generated a new review of fuel economy testing standards.

TRACY SAMILTON, BYLINE: Ford wants to be a fuel economy leader, rivaling Toyota. Its ads for the C-Max compared its fuel economy favorably to the Prius. Now, those ads will have to be yanked.

Jake Fisher is with Consumer Reports, which early on questioned the C-Max mpg. Fischer says one problem could be that the EPA's fuel economy tests factor in a lot of stop-and go driving.

JAKE FISHER: But if you're just cruising along at 70, you're not going to get anywhere near those numbers.

SAMILTON: Here's another problem. The EPA's Chris Grundler says Ford originally didn't even put the C-Max through the tests. As permitted by EPA rules, Ford used its Fusion hybrid to stand in for the C-Max - because both vehicles are the same weight and have the same power train. That generally works fine.

CHRIS GRUNDLER: This did not work for the Ford C-Max.

SAMILTON: Grundler says the agency will review its standards to make sure the fuel economy sticker for a hybrid is as accurate as for a non-hybrid.

GRUNDLER: We're going to see more of this in the future, which is why we want to nip this in the bud.

SAMILTON: The mileage downgrade will be costly for Ford which will send a $550 rebate to all 32,000 of its C-Max customers.

For NPR News, I'm Tracy Samilton. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Tracy Samilton covers the auto beat for Michigan Radio. She has worked for the station for 12 years, and started out as an intern before becoming a part-time and, later, a full-time reporter. Tracy's reports on the auto industry can frequently be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as on Michigan Radio. She considers her coverage of the landmark lawsuit against the University of Michigan for its use of affirmative action a highlight of her reporting career.