On Earth Day , Auto Alliance Celebrates Unmatched Clean Air Progress
13 April 2000
On Earth Day 2000, Auto Alliance Celebrates Unmatched Clean Air Progress, Pledges Continued Environmental Achievement
'The Auto Industry Has Traveled Farther Than Any Other Industry Toward A
Cleaner Environment. And In The Future, We're Dedicated To Going Even Farther
To Clean The Air.'
WASHINGTON, April 12 The following was issued today by the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers:
* Nationwide, all cars and light trucks are at least 96% cleaner than
their counterparts in the 1960s.
* By 2009, all cars and light trucks will become 80% cleaner than today.
* This decade (2000-2009), both cars and light trucks will drive 99%
cleaner than in the 1960s.
* Today's light truck runs more cleanly than a 1993 car.
* A Washington-to-Dallas journey in a 2000 car is less polluting than a
Baltimore-to-Washington commute in a 1966 car.
Source: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
"Right now, we're volunteering to make new vehicles 99% percent cleaner."
* All 2001 new cars sold nationwide -- approximately 8 million cars --
will meet voluntary National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV) program
standards (separate standards are required in California, Maine, New
York and Vermont). Some light trucks also will meet NLEV standards.
* During the 1999 and 2000 model years, more than 2.6 million cars sold
in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and the District of Columbia will
meet voluntary NLEV standards.
Source: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
"America is breathing easier than on the first Earth Day. Nationally, we
experience half as many smoggy days as a decade ago. During the 1990s, the
number of smoggy cities fell by two-thirds."
* The average number of days with poor air quality for ground-level ozone
dropped 86% (1988-1997).
* In 1991, 100 areas failed to meet the federal air quality standard for
ground-level ozone. By 1998, 62 of those areas met the federal
standard.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
"Cars and light trucks are now responsible for about one-quarter of smog-
related emissions in key U.S. cities. That (downward) trend will continue in
the future, with autos and light trucks accounting for about one-fifth of
emissions by 2005."
Source: AAA 1999 "Clearing the Air" survey of select U.S. cities
Car and Light Truck
Share of Smog Emissions 1970 1999 2005
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 53% 26% 19%
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 27% 22% 22%
"Cars go twice as far on a gallon of gas and light trucks go nearly 60
percent farther."
Vehicle class 1974 car/1975 light truck 1999
Cars 14.2 miles per gallon 28.3 miles per gallon
Light Trucks 13.1 miles per gallon 20.8 miles per gallon
Source: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a coalition of 13 car and
light truck manufacturers, representing BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler
Corporation, Fiat Auto S.p.A, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation,
Isuzu Motors America, Inc., Mazda North American Operations, Mitsubishi Motor
Sales of American, Inc., Nissan North America, Inc., Porsche Cars North
America, Inc., Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Volkswagen of America, Inc.,
and Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. It was formed in January 1999 and
serves as a leading advocacy group for the automobile industry on public
policy matters. Alliance member companies have approximately 600,000
employees in the United States, with more than 250 facilities in 35 states.
Alliance members represent more than 90 percent of U.S. vehicle sales.