Ford Renegs on Hybrid Car Promise

Jump Start Ford
July 4, 2006



SAN FRANCISCO – Ford Motor Company today boldly broke its nine-month old promise to build 250,000 hybrids by 2010, drawing the ire of environmental and human rights groups across the country and casting doubt on the company’s sincerity. Following on the heels of its broken 2002 promise to reduce SUV emissions and greenhouse gases by 25 percent, today’s announcement is the latest in a string of public deceptions by the company about its commitment to reducing global warming pollution and US dependence on oil.

“It’s time for American consumers to stop buying into Ford’s deceptions,” said Jennifer Krill, Zero Emissions Campaign Director for Rainforest Action Network. “Despite Ford’s empty rhetoric about increasing fleet-wide fuel efficiency, Ford vehicles continue to waste more gas than any other major automaker, and the company subsidizes its bottom-of-the-barrel fleet-wide fuel efficiency by offering customers thousand-dollar gas cards. Bill Ford Jr. has made a habit of manipulating America with grand claims about the need to break our oil dependence. This is the last time Americans will be fooled by Ford’s deceit.”

“Is Ford’s ‘Way Forward’ going to be ‘bold moves’ or broken promises?” said Mike Hudema, Independence from Oil Director with Global Exchange. “It’s time for Ford to make the ‘Bold Moves’ it touts in its million dollar ad campaigns by committing to lead the industry in fuel efficiency rather than its current last place standing, by building a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle, by ending its lawsuits and lobbying efforts against groups trying to address oil dependence, and, most importantly, by actually following through on those promises. Promises, despite Ford’s actions, are not made to be broken.”

Ford’s poor environmental performance is taking an economic toll on the company. Citing an over-reliance on poorly-performing SUVs, yesterday Standard & Poor's further downgraded Ford's credit rating, saying "Ford would need to reverse its current financial and operational trends, and sustain such a reversal, before we would revise its outlook to stable." On Monday, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger called on the Big 3 US automakers to “Promote the manufacture of gasoline-electric hybrids…and other advanced-technology vehicles.”

The Jumpstart Ford Campaign – a coalition comprised of Rainforest Action Network, Global Exchange and the Ruckus Society – is working to end America’s oil dependence, reduce oil related conflicts, and stop global climate change by convincing the auto industry to dramatically improve fuel efficiency and eliminate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Launched by RAN and Global Exchange in 2003, the campaign has specifically targeted Ford Motor Company because the US Environmental Protection Agency has ranked Ford cars, trucks and SUVs as having the worst overall fuel economy among major American automakers.

For more information, visit http://www.jumpstartford.com.