Toyota chastised for fleet mileage

DETROIT — Toyota Motor Corp. sells more hybrid vehicles than any other automaker, but an environmental group is targeting the company anyway, saying the average fuel economy of Toyota vehicles is worse than it was 20 years ago.

San Francisco-based Bluewater Network, which advocates government action to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, plans to run newspaper ads this week with the headline, “Is Toyota a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?” The ads feature a photograph of Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe alongside a wolf in a business suit.

Bluewater Network says Toyota belongs to organizations that are suing California over its new smog regulations. It also says Toyota’s vehicles are becoming less fuel efficient. According to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average fuel economy for Toyota’s fleet was 30 miles per gallon in 1985 and is 27.5 miles per gallon this year.

“Is this the same company that brought us the hybrid Prius, claiming to be an environmental leader?” the ad asks.

Bluewater Network took on Ford Motor Co. in 2003 after the automaker reneged on a promise to increase the fuel economy of its vehicles by 25 percent. But this is the first time Toyota has been a target of similar ads. Toyota spokeswoman Nancy Hubbell said the automaker was surprised and disappointed.

Hubbell acknowledged Toyota’s average fuel economy has fallen in the last 20 years, but she said that’s because the mix of vehicles has changed and now includes trucks and sport utility vehicles.