Awake at the Wheel

With consumer sentiment and political consensus clearly aligning for change, Big Detroit is looking like Big Oil as they push back against innovation and consumer choice in a desperate struggle for a continuation of the status quo. The question must be asked- what status quo? Chrysler has been sold, Ford is near failure, VW is in a leadership position with diesel vehicles, Toyota with Prius and new hybrids… strange bedfellows when CAFE is on the table. Diesels are running the table in EU markets, hybrids and diesels in the emerging markets of India and China, while the largest global vehicle market, the USA, is being relegated to the dark ages.

Green Car Congress reports: Automakers Rally US Citizens to Oppose Higher Fuel Economy Standards

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) has launched a website (www.drivecongress.com) that encourages citizens to compose messages of protest against “unrealistic fuel economy increases” to be hand-delivered to elected officials. AAM represents BMW, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.

The website allows users to insert statements provided by the AAM, such as “I value fuel economy, but I also want many other attributes in my automobile like safety, passenger and cargo room, performance, towing, hauling capacity and more” or “Rather than setting a harmful mandates [sic] like the one being proposed, the government should encourage the use of alternative fuels like ethanol, and provide incentives for consumers, like me, to purchase alternative fuel autos.”

The Detroit News reports that the campaign will also include at least a million dollars of radio ads in ten states that have a high percentage of truck and SUV owners.

The AAM’s efforts are bolstered by parallel campaigns from DaimlerChrysler and General Motors, each of which has brought a dedicated website online to help with the campaign.

According to GM’s website (drivingamericasfuture.com), CAFE standards “deter innovation”; “have no near term effect on oil consumption”; “foster competitive disparities that discriminate against US  automakers”; and are “a 1970’s solution to a 21st Century problem.”

The website cites the steady rise in US oil consumption as an indicator that CAFE standards have failed, but does not calculate the level of consumption that might exist if such standards had not been enacted.

DaimlerChrysler’s password-protected website (www.grabdemocracybythehorns.com) is described as a “grassroots advocacy website, a legislative activation tool that provides employees, retirees, dealers and suppliers with a means to conveniently contact elected officials about the issues that concern you, your family and our company.”