WASHINGTON — Small cars with big mileage numbers weren't the only big sellers under the Cash for Clunkers program, despite the federal government's focus on replacing gas guzzlers with more fuel-efficient vehicles.
New data released by the Department of Transportation show that tens of thousands of trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles with relatively low gas mileage were among the nearly 700,000 vehicles sold under the program in late July and August. It even included a handful of Hummers, an SUV brand not usually associated with fuel economy.
A major goal of Cash for Clunkers was to remove older and polluting vehicles from the road. In order to cash in on government rebates of $3,500 to $4,500, buyers had to purchase new vehicles with better gas mileage than their trade-ins that were to be scrapped. For passenger cars, that difference had to be at least 4 miles per gallon. But for buyers of SUVs, pickups and minivans, that difference had to be only 2 mpg.
That meant buyers trading in vehicles that dated back to the mid-1980s, well before manufacturers put a priority on fuel economy, couldqualify for the credits while buying trucks and SUVs that get less than 20 mpg.
The data were the first account of all the new cars sold through the program - until Sept. 18, the government had only released a list of top-10 sellers, which was loaded with smaller vehicles with higher gas mileage such as the Toyota Corolla and the Ford Focus.
Four small cars took the top spots on the list. The Corolla was the best-seller, with 29,488 sold. It was followed by the Honda Civic with 28,456, the Toyota Camry with 27,137 and the Ford Focus with 22,388.
But some crossovers and pickups were also amongthe best-selling vehicles in the program when different versions of the vehicle were accounted for. The government's earlier analysis had considered two-wheel and four-wheel versions of a car or truck, or those with hybrid powertrains as opposed to traditional, to be different vehicles.
The Ford Escape, for example, can be purchased with four-wheel drive or frontwheel drive, as a hybrid version or with an engine capable of running on flexible fuel such as E85 ethanol. All told, Ford sold 21,894 of the small SUVs through the program, ranking fifth among models. Honda sold 20,106 versions of the similar-size CR-V - withmore than half having fourwheel drive.
Bigger, thirstier trucks also made the Top 20 list. Sales included 16,330 Chevrolet Silverado and 16,263 Ford F-150 pickups.
The Toyota Prius hybrid, the gas-mileage champion according to the Environmental Protection Agency, registered 15,013 sales through Cash for Clunkers, ranking it 14th.
Some environmentalists had complained that the program would lead some consumers to trade in their clunkers to buy a Hummer. The data showed that 15 2009 Hummer H3Ts with fourwheel drive were purchased through Cash for Clunkers.
Smart sold 1,152 Fortwo micro cars through the program, while Toyota sold 2,015 Tundra full-size pickups. The government data also show customers bought a wide range of new vehicles, from BMW sedans to Chevrolet Camaros.
Transportation Department officials have noted Cash for Clunkers achieved a 60 percent improvement in fuel efficiency because of the trade-ins. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood told car dealers this month that the program "helped consumers ditch costly gas-guzzlers for safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles that are much better for the environment."
Business, Pages 78 on 09/27/2009