DETROIT’S three largest automakers, General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler parent Stellantis, lag other automakers in fuel economy performance as they sell a rising number of large trucks and SUVs, a government report released Friday showed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said fuel economy for new vehicles hit a high in the 2020 model year at 25.4 miles (41 km) per gallon but added that projected industry fuel economy for the 2021 model year will decline to 25.3 mpg. The three U.S. automakers have the lowest fleet wide fuel economy of 14 major car companies. GM is projected to be the lowest of all automakers in 2021 with a fleet average of 21.5 mpg for all its vehicles, just behind Stellantis at 21.6 mpg, with Ford Motor Co. at 22.7 mpg. The report said since 2004, carbon dioxide emissions have decreased by 24 percent as fuel economy has improved by 32 percent. The report said only Tesla Inc., Subaru and Honda Motor met requirements without using credits. Automakers can either purchase credits or use credits earned from earlier model years. The report shows GM, Daimler AG’s Mercedes and Stellantis all bought significant credits in 2020, while Tesla, Honda and Toyota Motor all sold credits. In August, the EPA proposed reversing the Trump-era loosening of vehicle emissions rules with a new plan to boost efficiency 10 percent in the 2023 model year, aiming for a fleet average of 52 mpg by 2026.(SD-Agencies) | 