Gas prices are still well above $2 a gallon across most of the country and, with the economy hurting, fuel efficiency should be a determining factor for any car buyer. It's only natural that consumers would first consider Japanese cars, with their proven track record for delivering high gas mileage.
"Honda, over the breadth of its line and history, has generally led in fuel mileage," says Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com. "Toyota has done well, too."
Actually, it's the German manufacturers that are leading the most market segments in terms of fuel efficiency on 2009 models. Across the new model year, six from Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG rank among the most fuel-efficient, beating every new model in five classes and tying in one. Japanese models placed at the top of only one category (but tied in two); one South Korean model was the best in its category, and one category and one tie went to American cars.
