Tougher fuel-efficiency rule planned

The government is seeking a new standard requiring automakers to improve the fuel-efficiency of cars by an estimated 24 percent by fiscal 2020 compared with fiscal 2009, officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

To determine whether the target has been met, the government plans to use the average fuel economy of all cars sold by an automaker, a method used in the European Union and the United States.

Under the current method, automakers have to clear each target figure for various weight classes.

The new standard could take effect as early as next spring, after public consultations on the draft plan over the next month, the officials said. The fuel-efficiency of cars stood at 16.3 km per liter in fiscal 2009 and is expected to be raised to 20.3 km per liter in fiscal 2020 under the plan.

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