Honda's Hybrid Mileage Discrepancy Means Big Pay Day for Plaintiff

In case you missed this, a former lawyer, who owns a Honda Civic hybrid, took the automaker to court earlier this month over what she termed as being a 'mileage discrepancy.' And she won big in court too. Could this open up the floodgates to more lawsuits for the automakers, regarding inaccurate mileage claims? Or is this simply an isolated case? The days of some automakers making false advertising claims, especially in this day of rising gas prices could be over. To check out the article in the Detroit News related to this court battle, click here. Stay tuned. We haven't heard the last of this unprecedented case.

4-Cylinder Engines Are the Latest Buying Fad

For the seventh month in row, American drivers are racking up less miles on the road says the Federal Highway Adminstration. This continues a seven-month trend that amounts to 40.5 billion fewer miles traveled between November 2007 and May 2008 than the same period a year before, according to FHA officials. Adding to consumers putting the brakes on driving, they are also shifting away from gas-guzzling 8-cylinder trucks, SUVs and cars, automakers can’t seem to build enough fuel-efficient vehicles.

Last month, Power Information Network, a data mining company tracking new car sales, reported 51 percent of new cars and light trucks sold in June were equipped with fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines. Since Power Information Network has been tracking new vehicle sales, this is the first time 4-cylinder engines have captured more than half of new vehicle sales in the U. S. Automakers are scrambling to keep up with consumer demand, readjusting their production mix. Four-cylinder engines typically produce better gas mileage than the larger engines. For instance, a 2008 4-cylinder Nissan Altima with an automatic transmission achieves a combined 26 miles per gallon, whereas a comparable 6-cylinder Altima only registers 22 miles per gallon, according to the EPA. Not only does the mileage increase when comparing a 4-cylinder engine to a larger engine, you'll save thousands of dollars purchasing a vehicle with a smaller engine. To find out how many miles per gallon your vehicle is capable of producing, click here.