Unless you’ve been on the business side of cars, you probably don’t know who AutoNation is. They are America’s largest automotive retailer. They own and operate 327 new vehicle franchises in 16 states.
Last month, AutoNation launched its E-Vehicle program. The program is designed to promote greater consumer awareness of fuel-efficient vehicles by identifying those cars and trucks available online and in-store that have exceptional energy efficiency. To qualify, vehicles must produce at least 28 miles-per-gallon or deliver 10% better fuel efficiency than the average for their vehicle class. AutoNation has partnered with Edmunds.com to identify qualifying vehicles and ensure that the fullest range of vehicles is represented.
Under the program, every car and truck for sale at an AutoNation dealership or listed on AutoNation.com that meets the E-Vehicle standards will be marked with a green, leaf-shaped E-Vehicle logo, and there will be an accompanying checklist displaying the particular efficiency criteria that it satisfies.
In addition to these green-labeled E-Vehicles, AutoNation will also be identifying what it calls “Y-Vehicles” with a yellow leaf logo. These are cars and trucks that make use of flex fuel or ethanol-based technology.
While I support state and federal research and incentives – to aid consumers – I’m confident that profit is the key to driving a sensible life style. No puns intended. Efforts like this one are an example of a sound and successful corporation that draws a similar conclusion. BTW – AutoNation is the only retailer in the S&P 500 index.
Green marketing, pure & simple.
Everyone will be doing it, in 3 .. 2 .. 1 months.
Let’s have them selling ordinary cars that are upgraded to PZEV for a tiny 500$ cost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZEV
Any medium sized car becomes a low-polluting as a Prius/Camry Hybrid w/o the MPG savings, but with a drastically smaller sticker price.
SULEV & Hybrid requires a re-engineered car, thus costlier.
PZEV is just a different exhaust system on an existing car as-is, minus probably a few HP’s. Nothing TheGlobalWarmer would miss (much).
My GS450h is a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. On the current tank of gas, I’m getting 27 mpg in town. That’s damn good for a 340 hp screamer!
Geez, I just got here and I’m getting slammed already! :-O (I’m sure you just feel bad about agreeing with me earlier. 😉 )
I’ve got no problem here. As long as the end result is increasing standard of living (no cutting back & no increase in cost) I’m all for it. E-vehicles come in all classes including full sized trucks, making this quite reasonable.
“To qualify, vehicles must produce at least 28 miles-per-gallon or deliver 10% better fuel efficiency than the average for their vehicle class. ”
They should really just mark them as fuel efficient. There is nothing in the requirements they state that requires they pollute less.
My Honda Ridgeline truck is certified by the EPA as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (it says so right on a sticker so it must be true) and it doesn’t get 28 mpg and probably does not deliver 10% better fuel efficiency than the average vehicle in its class.
Gig said, “My Honda Ridgeline truck is certified by the EPA as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle…”
But it’s not a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. There’s a difference.
Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) is a conventionally powered or gas-electric hybrid vehicle designed to produce minimal air pollution at their point of use, typically less than 10% of that of an equivalent ordinary vehicle.
ULEV: Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. ULEVs are 50% cleaner than the average new model year car.
hhopper,
Well my Benz won the Green Car of the Year award and I just got 36 mpg driving from Dallas to Austin, TX on I-35!
I didn’t say it was but there is nothing in AutoNation’s program that wouldn’t allow a truck that is a worse polluter than mine getting the E sticker.
at least 28 miles-per-gallon or deliver 10% better fuel efficiency than the average for their vehicle class
OK??
10% better??
So insted of 19 mpg it gets 21…?
Ok???
why NOT import those Europeon cars that get Over 50mpg on DEISAL…
#8 The Mercedes E320 CDI , diesel powered, is the car #6 was talking about. I am with you. We need more of these cars over here.
In 2004, I got sick of gas prices and looked into a car with good MPG. Quite frankly, they hybrids were a joke. Penn and Teller took them apart on their show, Bullshit. The Prius gets like 5 MPG better than the gas powered Corolla, and once the engine wears out you have to get rid of the extremely toxic batteries. If not for the tax breaks, no one would be buying them.
On the other hand, unlike the hybrids, the more I read about diesels the more I could not believe. I read reports they were quiet, didn’t smell bad, lasted longer, required less maintenence, went 0 to 60 in under 7 secs, and got 30+ MPG. Still, I went and checked it out for myself. All the claims were true, and I bought the E320, and it is the best car I have ever owned.
It is not cheap at $50k, but I think it will last twice as long as a comparable gas car, and I am paying half as much for fuel.
For people who balk at paying that much, VW has a no frills Jetta going for about half the price. I actually like that engine’s performance more. After I bought the E320, I got my wife that Jetta, and she loves it.
Last I checked people living in the NY and CA couldn’t buy such cars because of emissions. These cars supposedly put out less CO2 but more smog. Anybody know if you can buy these cars in CA or NY?
A SULEV vehicle puts out 90% less pollution than an average vehicle. That rating has nothing to do with gas mileage. It just means the amount of pollutants coming from the tailpipe. So it’s 90% better.
#9, jz
Today’s diesel engines provide 20-to-40-percent better fuel economy and offer more torque at lower rpm when compared to their gasoline counterparts. Diesel engines are also substantially less harmful to the environment today than they were in the past — and are headed down the road to becoming even cleaner in the near future.
http://tinyurl.com/2xs7r2
#10 Did you even glance at the story that this blog entry is about. It clearly states what the requirements that AutoNation is using for their new E tag and it is ALL about gas mileage.
My point is not the MPG our biggest problem, but smog.
Imagine if a simple 500$ upgrade, when buying new, makes your car as low polluting as hybrids costing much much more.
Then you have two markets, one greener, one greenest.
The PZEV tech has been around for Ford/GM/Chrysler cars & trucks since 2001 yet not a single one installed / sold.
Think about it – cheap upgrade – near zero pollution – uses same gas.
So why aren’t they being installed ????? Scandalous.
#13 – Mark Derail – I hadn’t really heard about the PZEV category before reading your posts here. I can see why the $500 investment would not be hugely popular, though. If politicians would authorize a sticker allowing them to use carpool lanes, that would draw some buyers. Give buyers a $500 tax credit – a quarter of the Prius-class break – and I bet pretty much everyone buying a new car would install that option.
While I support state and federal research and incentives – to aid consumers –
Yes, I support taking by force money from some people and giving it to other people who could not get their ideas financed in the free market. It works just dandy for me!
Really, it’s great to see free market in action, and if it’s not what people want, they’ll find something better to do rather than demand even more money from the rest of us.
I hate “auto nation”. Bunch of jerks owning ALL the dealerships in some markets…..total monopoly and money grubbing ones at that.
….I don’t care what they promote. I’d rather walk than buy a car from those buttwipes, ever again.