Oct. 8--Domestic automakers have retooled their marketing messages and are taking aim, when possible, at Honda and Toyota, in an attempt to change public perceptions of the Detroit Three as inefficient when it comes to gas mileage.

While gas prices have retreated from a peak of more than $4 a gallon this summer, they are still averaging more than $3.50 per gallon nationally and the nation's deepening economic crisis resulted in September being the worst month for industry sales since February 1993.

In response, automakers are slashing advertising budgets and infusing their remaining commercials with fuel economy messages whenever they can find an advantage over competitors, even if that advantage is razor-thin.

"Fuel efficiency is extremely topical right now; it is something that consumers are very interested in," said Garry Neel, president and CEO of the Detroit and Los Angeles offices of McCann Worldgroup. "It is the kind of information that people want, so it's the kind of information that automakers are providing."

Tim Blett, president of the Newport Beach, Calif., office of national advertising agency Doner, estimates that fuel efficiency has grown from being a part of about 10% of automotive advertisements to about 80% of advertisements.

"It's all been changing," Blett said. "Go back 12 to 18 months, and you saw hardly anything on fuel efficiency -- except for hybrids."

Each MPG counts

For much of the summer, General Motors Corp. was running an advertisement as part of its "Truth" campaign saying GMC Acadia gets an "EPA estimated 24 highway MPG. That's better than a Honda Pilot. Also better than Mazda CX-9. Look it up."

While Acadia's highway mileage does beat the 23 m.p.g. for the front-wheel drive Pilot, both vehicles average 19 m.p.g. when city and highway performance is combined.

"In my business, one mile per gallon is huge," said Mary Kubitskey, advertising manager for GMC, who added that the Acadia's performance is all the more impressive because it is larger than the Pilot. "I would contend that it is significant."

By July, GM says it phased out most "Truth" ads in favor of an advertising campaign for its employee discount, but at least one of those advertisements also features a statement at the end saying Acadia's fuel economy is better than Pilot's.

Message of the moment

Ford Motor Co. also aims at Honda in an advertisement for its front-wheel drive 2009 Mercury Mariner SUV that began running in September.

"Twenty-eight miles per gallon ... better than Honda ... unsurpassed highway mileage," a woman says as the camera cuts to the SUV's navigation screen.