Automotive News reports the vehicle footprint for the 2015 model years averaged to a record 49.9 square feet, about a two percent increase since the EPA began tracking the statistic in 2008. Automotive News reports the trend towards larger vehicles may be a way for manufacturers to get around stricter emissions standards because larger vehicles have “more forgiving fuel economy targets.” The article reports that of 25 vehicles Automotive News examined that had been “redesigned since the footprint-based standards took effect in 2012,” 21 were redesigned to be larger.
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
