'Green' serves as Auto Show goal
Cameron Birch
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: News
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The auto show also marks one week from President Obama's directive of granting states the ability to independently limit their automobile carbon emissions.
"Let me be clear: Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry. It is to help America's automakers prepare for the future," Obama said in an MSNBC article.
"This year's Auto Show will be an important educational tool for consumers interested in learning about the latest developments in the [alternative fuel] vehicle segment," Joe Magarity, chairman of the 2009 Philadelphia International Auto Show and president of Magarity Chevrolet said in a press release.
Kevin Mazzucola, executive director of the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, an organizer of the event, recognized that there has been a downturn in the economy.
"But what the show is doing is emphasizing the product, especially the domestic [automobiles]," Mazzucola said.
In regards to the Obama policy of state-mandated emissions caps, Mazzucola said it would be difficult putting a patchwork of standards on emissions and that it should be a "federal issue" with "federal standards."
"CO2 is a global problem, not a state problem," Mazzucola said.
He also added that it becomes difficult for manufacturers to market their product in areas with different regulations.
"Let's settle on a standard and move forward," Irv Miller, Toyota vice president for environmental policy, said in a Los Angeles Times article. "We don't have time to move from one regulation to another. We have to have a single standard for all 50 states."
Press releases of multiple companies are showing a trend of emphasis on increasing gas mileage for consumers while simultaneously creating environmentally friendly vehicles.
Smart USA and Mercedes-Benz, subsidiaries of Daimler AG, advertise in releases vehicles with "ultra-low emissions" and vehicles that can be fun and responsible while being environmentally responsible. Mercedes also is marketing their works in hydrogen as a fuel source and advancing diesel.
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