Automaker Rankings 2014

The 2014 Automaker Rankings by the Union of Concerned Scientists evaluates the environmental performance of the eight best-selling automakers in the U.S. for model year 2013. For the first time since the series began in 2000, all eight analyzed companies reduced their average global warming emissions compared to 1998 levels. Hyundai-Kia is ranked as the 'Greenest Automaker,' unseating Honda, due to fleet-wide improvements in fuel efficiency through engine downsizing and turbocharging. Conversely, Chrysler is identified as the worst performer, earning the 'dirtiest tailpipe' distinction. The report attributes overall industry progress to more stringent federal fuel economy and tailpipe emissions standards, noting an 87 percent drop in smog-forming tailpipe emissions from the U.S. fleet since 1998.

• Hyundai-Kia is ranked as the 'Greenest Automaker' for model year 2013, surpassing Honda. The company achieved this through turbocharging and downsizing engines and introducing hybrid-electric versions of the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima.
• For the first time in the history of the rankings, every one of the eight best-selling automakers has reduced its average global warming emissions relative to its 1998 fleet average.
• Chrysler is the worst performing of the top eight automakers, showing the least improvement over the past decade and earning the 'dirtiest tailpipe' distinction.
• Federal emissions standards have led to significant industry-wide reductions: smog-forming tailpipe emissions from the U.S. fleet dropped by 87 percent since 1998, and average global warming emissions decreased by nearly 20 percent.
• Among the 'Detroit Three' (Ford, GM, and Chrysler), Ford is performing better than its domestic counterparts by using turbocharged engines and hybrid-electric models to reduce emissions.
• Plug-in electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) offer significantly lower emissions than conventional cars; in the report's analysis, the average BEV scored 41.0 and the average PHEV scored 52.6, compared to 84.0 for the rest of the small, midsize, and large vehicle fleet.
• The EPA required Hyundai-Kia to adjust fuel economy labels for nearly half of its 2013 fleet due to misrepresented performance, though sensitivity analyses by the UCS indicate this did not change the company's first-place ranking.
• Since the first rankings in 2000, the environmental performance of vehicles has improved by 43 percent, with average global warming and smog-forming emissions falling by more than 15 and 61 percent, respectively.

APA

Cooke, D. (2014). Automaker Rankings 2014. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Automaker-Rankings-2014.pdf

Chicago

Cooke, Dave. Automaker Rankings 2014. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Automaker-Rankings-2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cooke |first1=Dave |title=Automaker Rankings 2014 |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Automaker-Rankings-2014.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cooke2014automaker, author = {Cooke, Dave}, title = {{Automaker Rankings 2014}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Automaker-Rankings-2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }