AIADA Hails Senate Passage of Fuel Economy Amendment

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) issued the following statement today following Senate passage of an amendment to the energy bill sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) to give the Department of Transportation the authority to determine any increase in fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks:

``Passage today of the Bond-Levin amendment is a victory for American consumers and their freedom of vehicle choice in the marketplace. Efforts to dramatically increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards threatened to compromise vehicle safety and would have eliminated some of the most popular vehicles on the road today,'' said AIADA President Walter E. Huizenga.

The amendment, which passed 62-38, is an alternative to a plan by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) that called for up to a 50 percent increase in the CAFE standards by 2015. AIADA opposed the Kerry proposal, which would have mandated a rise in the average fuel efficiency of cars and trucks to as high as 36 mpg from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 for light trucks.

``This was a hard-fought victory over an unreasonable proposal that threatened our member's jobs and their business investments. Bond-Levin is a sensible provision designed to seek rational increases in CAFE via the regulatory process without jeopardizing consumer choice and safety,'' said Huizenga.

About AIADA

AIADA is the lobbying and communications force in Washington, D.C. for the 10,000 American automobile dealerships that sell and service international nameplate brands. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing for nearly 420,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at http://www.aiada.org .