American Gas-Guzzlers Hurting Business as Well as Environment
GreenBiz.com
02/14/07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 -- The number of fuel-efficient vehicles is rapidly climbing in Europe, while the U.S. market now offers only two such cars -- even though Detroit automakers make a significant number of Europe's green machines, according to the Civil Society Institute.
CSI's 40mpg.org project, which aims to immediately increase the required fuel efficiency for vehicles sold in the U.S., announced the news as it released a report listing the 'fuel-efficient vehicles gap' and a study of American attitudes on auto regulations and fuel efficiency.
"The technology for great fuel efficiency is real, it exists overseas and can easily be imported to the United States," said Pam Solo, the president and founder of CSI. "America is needlessly losing the race to develop and deploy the best fuel-efficient technology, and to deliver it to the American consumer."
As evidence of the existence and demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, the report lists 113 fuel-efficient vehicles, up from 86 in 2005, while American drivers have only two. In late 2005, when CSI first conducted the research, there were five such vehicles on the road, but in the last two years, the Honda Insight and Volkswagen's diesel Beetle and Golf models have been shelved. The remaining fuel-efficient vehicles -- defined by the group as those getting a combined city and highway average of 40 miles per gallon -- are the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, both hybrid cars.
"The U.S. is literally stuck in reverse when it comes to fuel efficiency, and it's falling farther behind the rest of the world," Ailis Aaron Wolf, a spokesperson for 40mpg.org. She added that an even more disturbing fact that emerged from the report is which auto companies are manufacturing all of Europe's fuel-efficient vehicles. "Nearly two-thirds -- 74 models -- of the 113 highly fuel efficient car models that are unavailable to American consumers are either made by U.S. auto manufacturers -- for example, Ford and GM -- or foreign manufacturers with substantial U.S. sales operations, like Volkswagen, Nissan and Toyota. story continued
02/14/07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 -- The number of fuel-efficient vehicles is rapidly climbing in Europe, while the U.S. market now offers only two such cars -- even though Detroit automakers make a significant number of Europe's green machines, according to the Civil Society Institute.
CSI's 40mpg.org project, which aims to immediately increase the required fuel efficiency for vehicles sold in the U.S., announced the news as it released a report listing the 'fuel-efficient vehicles gap' and a study of American attitudes on auto regulations and fuel efficiency.
"The technology for great fuel efficiency is real, it exists overseas and can easily be imported to the United States," said Pam Solo, the president and founder of CSI. "America is needlessly losing the race to develop and deploy the best fuel-efficient technology, and to deliver it to the American consumer."
As evidence of the existence and demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, the report lists 113 fuel-efficient vehicles, up from 86 in 2005, while American drivers have only two. In late 2005, when CSI first conducted the research, there were five such vehicles on the road, but in the last two years, the Honda Insight and Volkswagen's diesel Beetle and Golf models have been shelved. The remaining fuel-efficient vehicles -- defined by the group as those getting a combined city and highway average of 40 miles per gallon -- are the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, both hybrid cars.
"The U.S. is literally stuck in reverse when it comes to fuel efficiency, and it's falling farther behind the rest of the world," Ailis Aaron Wolf, a spokesperson for 40mpg.org. She added that an even more disturbing fact that emerged from the report is which auto companies are manufacturing all of Europe's fuel-efficient vehicles. "Nearly two-thirds -- 74 models -- of the 113 highly fuel efficient car models that are unavailable to American consumers are either made by U.S. auto manufacturers -- for example, Ford and GM -- or foreign manufacturers with substantial U.S. sales operations, like Volkswagen, Nissan and Toyota. story continued
posted by anthony m, at Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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