Americans are unhappy with the lack of fuel-efficient vehicles and want Congress to rectify the situation, according to new research from the Civil Society Institute (CSI) 40MPG.org, from a national survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC).

Updating its December 2005 research, CSI found that the number of vehicle models sold in the U.S. with mileage of at least 40 miles per gallon has dropped, from 5 in 2005 to 2 in 2007. Overseas, the available amount of models achieving an efficiency of 40 mpg rose from 86 to 113. Nearly two thirds of those fuel-efficient car models unavailable to American consumers are manufactured by U.S. automakers or foreign automakers with substantial U.S. sales (such as Volkswagen, Nissan, and Toyota).

The survey reveals a potential market of at least 2.5 million U.S. consumers interested in the fuel-efficient cars sold overseas but not in this country—nearly 9 out of 10 Americans. Four out of 5 Americans said they would support Congress raising the fuel-efficiency requirements for U.S. vehicles to achieve the goal of 40 miles per gallon.