U.S. average fuel economy edged down in August

The average fuel economy of new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. in August was 25.3 mpg, down 0.1 mpg from July, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute said Wednesday.

The average fuel economy, collected from EPA ratings on window stickers, was up 0.2 mpg from August 2016.

Average fuel economy is up 5.2 mpg since October 2007, the first month researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle monitored the market, but down 0.2 mpg from the peak of 25.5 mpg reached in August 2014.

Year-over-year U.S. light-vehicle sales slid 1.8 percent in August, with car deliveries descending 9.5 percent, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Across the light-truck segment, pickup and crossover sales rose last month, 3.7 percent and 4.8 percent. Total light-truck sales gained 2.9 percent.

The rise in average fuel economy occurred alongside an uptick in the price of gasoline. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline Wednesday was $2.661, up from $2.199 a year ago, according to AAA data.

The institute's greenhouse gas emissions index for U.S. drivers rose to 0.83 in June from 0.82 in May. The baseline figure of 1 was set in October 2007. That means the average new-vehicle driver generated 17 percent fewer emissions in June than in October 2007, but 5 percent higher emissions than the record low of 0.78 in November 2013.