Automakers highlight low-CO2 vehicles
— -- Automakers are putting a new emphasis on cars and trucks that excel at cutting carbon-dioxide emissions to reduce global warming.
In the past, CO2 was treated as just a component of the noxious vapors spewing from tailpipes. Now, it's being singled out.
"Thanks to (former vice president) Al Gore, people are becoming aware of this extra factor," says Dominick Infante, spokesman for Subaru, which is looking to reduce its CO2 footprint. "It's becoming something people are wondering about."
Some cars slash overall pollution but are mediocre when it comes to the greenhouse gas emissions, which are being blamed for warming the planet, the Environmental Protection Agency finds. And vice versa. The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan, for instance, ranks a high 9.5 on a scale of 10 on EPA listings when it comes to overall low pollution but only 5 when it comes to CO2. Conversely, Toyota's Yaris subcompact ranks 9 for low greenhouse gases, but 7 in overall low emissions.
Among automakers emphasizing their CO2 reduction efforts:
•Chrysler. The clean diesel that will go into the 2009 Dodge pickup will deliver a 20% CO2 reduction from an equivalent gasoline engine, the company says.
•BMW. To promote its low-polluting Hydrogen 7 concept test car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, BMW presented a panel including a producer of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, in which Gore makes the case for global warming's threat.
It's not just good public relations. Since the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the EPA can regulate greenhouse gases, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler have joined the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of corporate executives calling for CO2 restrictions. California, the nation's biggest auto market, is expected to adopt its own tougher carbon restrictions by December.
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