A Toyota Trick

New Tundra will get old model year

New rules that will lower window-sticker fuel economy numbers on vehicles are already affecting carmakers' behavior, but perhaps not in the way regulators intended.
The new figures are intended to reflect real-world fuel economy more closely than today's fuel-economy ratings. Shoppers use the figures to compare vehicles' operating costs. Listed fuel economy rates are expected to fall 7% to 15% under the new standard.

To take advantage of higher miles per gallon results under the old testing procedures, Toyota Motor Corp.'s big new Tundra full-size pickup will be called a 2007 model when it debuts, despite the fact that none will reach dealerships until mid-February at the earliest.
Most new cars and trucks that go on sale after Jan. 1 will be called 2008 models, but Toyota decided it would rather have its new truck look a little old rather than explain the lower fuel economy numbers when it competed with pickups like the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 that were tested under the old standard.
There may be more than one way to skin this cat. Larry Lyons, Chrysler Group vice president of small vehicles, says window stickers may end up giving fuel economy numbers under both tests during a transition period.
Otherwise, automakers might have to explain why their fuel economy claims for two similar vehicles introduced a few months apart differed by several miles per gallon.