New Car Buyers Want Better MPG

When thinking about their next new vehicle purchase, fuel economy was rated "most important" by 22% of respondents in a May 2004 survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. International for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This is a substantial departure from any year since 1983. Looking back to earlier data from J.D. Power & Associates, in 1980 some 42% of survey respondents indicated fuel economy was the most important attribute when purchasing a new vehicle.

In 1980, the real price of gasoline in today's dollars was $2.90. In 1987, the real price of gasoline in today's dollars was $1.51. Gasoline prices in May 2004 were higher than the real gasoline price in any other survey year since 1983.