Accord Man
12-04-2002, 11:02 PM
Honda fleet least polluting in U.S.
DaimlerChrysler finishes last in survey rating vehicle pollution; Ford is only carmaker to improve.
December 4, 2002: 12:47 PM EST
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Key findings from the UCS survey:
Toyota is the only automaker to cut its fleet average of CO2 emissions from model year 2000 to 2001.
Honda's lead in the rankings slipped as new tailpipe standards forced competitors to catch up on reducing smog-forming emissions.
Nissan's most popular cars and trucks are consistently among the least fuel-efficient vehicles in many size classes.
DaimlerChrysler's CO2 emissions rose more than other automakers' from 2000 to 2001, even though it was the only firm to reduce its reliance on truck sales.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Honda produces the least-polluting vehicle fleet in the U.S. market while DaimlerChrysler is at the bottom of the list of automakers, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The UCS survey analyzed the environmental performance of the six largest automakers in the U.S. market. Together, they sell nine of every 10 vehicles in the United States.
Honda (HMC: down $0.13 to $18.65, Research, Estimates) was followed by Toyota, Nissan, Ford (F: up $0.30 to $10.26, Research, Estimates), General Motors (GM: up $0.55 to $38.45, Research, Estimates) and DaimlerChrysler (DCX: up $1.02 to $34.77, Research, Estimates).
Ford was the only vehicle maker to move up in the UCS survey. The group said Ford's environmental progress was due to company Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.
"Ford deserves credit for going beyond federal requirements to clean up smog-forming emissions from its trucks," said Jason Mark, who oversaw the UCS survey. "Bill Ford has touted his green thumb, but until now only his speeches have merited a thumbs up," he said.
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The UCS said Ford was on track to meet its pledge to boost the fuel economy of its sport/utility vehicles by 25 percent from model year 2000 to 2005, but Ford's SUV gains were offset by fuel economy declines in the firm's other vehicles.
The group noted that when Ford made its commitment to increase SUV fuel economy by 25 percent, GM vowed to retain its lead in overall truck fuel economy. GM now trails Ford by just 0.1 mile per gallon, the group said.
In its survey, UCS looked at the two main environmental problems related to vehicles -- smog-forming pollution and carbon dioxide emissions that are linked to global warming.
Vehicles sold by the six largest automakers account for 93 percent of all smog-forming pollution and 92 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.
Federal regulations allow trucks to pollute more than cars.
As a result, the average 2001 model year truck spewed 2.4 times more smog-forming pollution and 1.4 times more CO2 emissions than the average 2001 car.
DaimlerChrysler finishes last in survey rating vehicle pollution; Ford is only carmaker to improve.
December 4, 2002: 12:47 PM EST
====================================
Key findings from the UCS survey:
Toyota is the only automaker to cut its fleet average of CO2 emissions from model year 2000 to 2001.
Honda's lead in the rankings slipped as new tailpipe standards forced competitors to catch up on reducing smog-forming emissions.
Nissan's most popular cars and trucks are consistently among the least fuel-efficient vehicles in many size classes.
DaimlerChrysler's CO2 emissions rose more than other automakers' from 2000 to 2001, even though it was the only firm to reduce its reliance on truck sales.
=======================================
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Honda produces the least-polluting vehicle fleet in the U.S. market while DaimlerChrysler is at the bottom of the list of automakers, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The UCS survey analyzed the environmental performance of the six largest automakers in the U.S. market. Together, they sell nine of every 10 vehicles in the United States.
Honda (HMC: down $0.13 to $18.65, Research, Estimates) was followed by Toyota, Nissan, Ford (F: up $0.30 to $10.26, Research, Estimates), General Motors (GM: up $0.55 to $38.45, Research, Estimates) and DaimlerChrysler (DCX: up $1.02 to $34.77, Research, Estimates).
Ford was the only vehicle maker to move up in the UCS survey. The group said Ford's environmental progress was due to company Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.
"Ford deserves credit for going beyond federal requirements to clean up smog-forming emissions from its trucks," said Jason Mark, who oversaw the UCS survey. "Bill Ford has touted his green thumb, but until now only his speeches have merited a thumbs up," he said.
Related stories
Two cars do poorly in bumper tests
VW Beetle rag-top worth the wait
The UCS said Ford was on track to meet its pledge to boost the fuel economy of its sport/utility vehicles by 25 percent from model year 2000 to 2005, but Ford's SUV gains were offset by fuel economy declines in the firm's other vehicles.
The group noted that when Ford made its commitment to increase SUV fuel economy by 25 percent, GM vowed to retain its lead in overall truck fuel economy. GM now trails Ford by just 0.1 mile per gallon, the group said.
In its survey, UCS looked at the two main environmental problems related to vehicles -- smog-forming pollution and carbon dioxide emissions that are linked to global warming.
Vehicles sold by the six largest automakers account for 93 percent of all smog-forming pollution and 92 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.
Federal regulations allow trucks to pollute more than cars.
As a result, the average 2001 model year truck spewed 2.4 times more smog-forming pollution and 1.4 times more CO2 emissions than the average 2001 car.