SUVs: Are They Cars or Trucks?

The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards set for model years (MY) 2011 through 2016 include small, 2-wheel drive sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with cars instead of light trucks. Until this regulation, all SUVs were categorized as light trucks, along with pickups and vans. A recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency shows how many SUVs fall into this new "non-truck SUV" category. The production data show that most SUVs are "truck SUVs" which will continue to be in the light truck category. However, in MY 2011 nearly 1.1 million non-truck SUVs (9.4% of 2011 light-duty vehicle sales) are now classified as cars that in previous years would have been classified as light trucks. A listing of which vehicles are included in the non-truck SUV category in MY 2011 is below.