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Chart: Automakers’ Adoption of Fuel-Saving Technologies
Automakers’ Adoption of Fuel-Saving Technologies
Over the past few decades, automakers have invested plenty of time and money into various fuel-saving technologies. This includes innovations such as direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and auto start-stop features.
Keeping track of which companies have adopted these technologies can be difficult. Thankfully, the EPA’s 2022 Automotive Trends Report includes data that shows which automakers have adopted what technologies.
Understanding the Data
The percentages in this infographic show how 14 major automakers have adopted various fuel-saving technologies into their lineups. The report did not specify if this data is for North American models only.
Brand | Turbo | Direct Injection | Cylinder Deact. | CVT | 7+ Gears | Start-Stop | Hybrid | PHEV/EV/FC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subaru | 22% | 99% | 0% | 95% | 0% | 80% | 0% | 0% |
Nissan | 5% | 72% | 0% | 87% | 12% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
Honda | 53% | 79% | 25% | 61% | 38% | 24% | 7% | 0% |
Mazda | 27% | 100% | 45% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Toyota | 3% | 0% | 0% | 36% | 38% | 19% | 22% | 2% |
Kia | 26% | 47% | 0% | 42% | 45% | 50% | 2% | 0% |
Hyundai | 18% | 44% | 0% | 23% | 46% | 21% | 4% | 2% |
BMW | 99% | 99% | 0% | 0% | 98% | 64% | 25% | 7% |
Volkswagen | 77% | 94% | 3% | 0% | 90% | 71% | 20% | 7% |
Mercedes-Benz | 94% | 100% | 8% | 0% | 100% | 77% | 22% | 0% |
Tesla | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
Ford | 80% | 56% | 21% | 2% | 92% | 83% | 5% | 3% |
GM | 37% | 91% | 54% | 9% | 74% | 75% | 0% | 1% |
Stellantis | 13% | 10% | 22% | 1% | 96% | 45% | 15% | 3% |
There are several geographical trends hidden within this dataset. To make them more obvious, we color-coded the 14 automakers by their nationality.
Asian Automakers
Starting from the top of the graphic, we can see that Japanese automakers are big proponents of gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines, as well as continuously variable transmissions (CVT).
With a GDI engine, fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber at high pressure. This is more precise than the traditional method known as port injection, which results in greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
CVT transmissions use pulleys instead of gears to improve fuel efficiency. CVTs are best paired with smaller, lower output engines, which may explain why Japanese automakers (who have a history of building smaller cars) have adopted them so widely.
Note that Toyota is listed as having 0% adoption of direct injection, but this isn’t exactly true. The automaker uses its D4-S system, which is a combination of both port and direct fuel injection.
South Korean automakers, on the other hand, have a more balanced technology profile, adopting a wider number of technologies, but each to a lesser degree.
German Automakers
German automakers are well-known for their expertise in building combustion engines, so it’s no surprise they use turbocharging and direct injection in nearly every model.
They’ve also heavily adopted high gear-count transmissions (7 or more gears), which can not only enable better fuel efficiency, but also faster acceleration. The downside to these transmissions is that they can be very heavy and complex.
Furthermore, German automakers utilize the auto start-stop feature in many of their vehicles, and are tied with Toyota in terms of hybrid adoption.
American & Other Automakers
Ford and GM’s technology profile is similar to the Germans, using turbocharging and direct injection combined with 7+ gear transmissions.
GM uses turbocharging less frequently, but stands out with its high usage of cylinder deactivation technology, at 54% of models. Referred to by GM as Active Fuel Management (AFM), this feature shuts down half of the engine’s cylinders during light driving.
GM is known for its small-block V8 engines, which can be had in many of the company’s models. Given the high cylinder count of a V8, AFM is a clever trick for improving fuel efficiency.
Stellantis, which is a merger between Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and French Peugeot, has not widely adopted many technologies except for the 7+ gear transmission.
Finally there’s Tesla, which does not use any of the aforementioned technologies due to it being a pure electric automaker.
Going The Way of the Dinosaur
The technologies shown in this infographic have helped to bring the average mpg of a new car to record highs in recent years.
Many of these innovations could become obsolete as automakers slowly phase out gasoline engines. In 2021, six major automakers including Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and GM pledged to phase out the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered cars by 2040.
Other companies such as Porsche believe that the combustion engine still has a future, pointing to synthetic fuels as a means of significantly reducing CO2 emissions.
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Visualized: An Investor’s Carbon Footprint, by Sector
Which sectors are the largest contributors to emissions? From energy to tech, this graphic shows carbon emissions by sector in 2023.


Visualized: An Investor’s Carbon Footprint, by Sector
In the quest for a sustainable future, investors can play a crucial role in shaping our planet’s destiny.
Understanding the carbon emissions in different sectors is a key way to make environmentally and financially conscious decisions and help make a positive impact on the planet.
This infographic, sponsored by MSCI, looks at carbon emissions by sector.
Types of Carbon Emissions
Unsurprisingly, industries heavily reliant on fossil fuels and energy-intensive processes, like energy, materials, and industrials, have significant carbon footprints. In contrast, service-based and technology industries are traditionally less carbon-intensive.
To get an accurate picture of a sector/industry’s carbon footprint, it’s important to look up and down their value chain. Here is how policymakers categorize carbon emissions:
- Scope 1: Generated directly by the organization and within its control e.g., on-site fuel combustion and internal industrial processes.
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from energy use, such as purchased electricity, heat, or cooling.
- Scope 3: Indirect emissions, but different from Scope 2 emissions. These are emissions that the company does not directly control such as the emissions produced from a supplier or emissions generated from the use of its sold product.
Only looking at all three scopes of emissions can we arrive at a complete picture of a sector’s carbon footprint.
Volume of Carbon Emissions, by Sector
The following table breaks down the greenhouse gas emissions for each sector by scope. A sector’s carbon footprint is expressed in metric tons of CO2 equivalent for every $1 million in financing.
In other words, here’s how much of a climate impact a one million dollar investment has in each of the following sectors.
The total figure represents the weighted average carbon emissions of each sector’s constituents as of August 10, 2023:
Sector | Scope 1 | Scope 2 | Scope 3 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 263.3 | 27.2 | 2827.5 | 3118.0 |
Materials | 298.4 | 82.8 | 1349.2 | 1730.4 |
Utilities | 461.4 | 16.0 | 405.5 | 883.0 |
Industrials | 32.6 | 8.3 | 425.1 | 466.0 |
Consumer discretionary | 5.0 | 9.0 | 372.2 | 386.2 |
Consumer staples | 16.5 | 12.4 | 276.4 | 305.3 |
Information technology | 2.0 | 5.8 | 79.3 | 87.1 |
Health care | 1.8 | 2.4 | 70.9 | 75.1 |
Financials | 4.0 | 1.1 | 58.3 | 63.4 |
Real estate | 1.4 | 5.9 | 46.8 | 54.0 |
Communication services | 0.6 | 4.7 | 40.5 | 45.8 |
Represented by tCO₂e/USD million EVIC. EVIC is the enterprise value including cash.
Understanding carbon footprint profiles can help investors evaluate the risks faced by carbon-intensive industries, such as future regulations and reputational challenges.
MSCI’s climate metrics empower investors to make responsible investments and drive meaningful change.

Download MSCI’s Climate Metrics Report.

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