R-34
07-20-2003, 10:05 PM
So the “E”s don't stand for efficient.
Ford Motor Co.’s SUVs have become less fuel-efficient, even as the automaker worked toward a goal of using 25 percent less fuel over five years — a goal it disavowed earlier this year.
In the 2002 model year, Ford’s SUVs were 8.4 percent more efficient than in 2000. But the 2003 model year is shaping up to be only 5.2 percent more efficient than in 2000 — effectively giving back almost 40 percent of the progress.
Ford blamed the regression on such developments as the launch of the Lincoln Aviator midsize sport-utility vehicle and falling sales of its Ford Escape compact SUV.
In coming years, the company still expects to improve the fuel economy of its popular and profitable SUVs. The Ford brand SUVs all have names that start with “E,” from the compact Escape and midsize Explorer to the hulking Expedition and Excursion.
The phase-out of the Excursion next year — it is expected to be replaced with an extended-length version of the Expedition — should help improve the fuel economy.
So will the belated launch of a hybrid-powered gas and electric Escape SUV. That vehicle was expected to hit dealer lots this year. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford reiterated his confidence that consumers will embrace the hybrid Escape, which he said will be the “first no-compromise” hybrid SUV.
The automaker’s SUV fuel economy should also benefit from a favorable ruling by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates corporate fuel usage. Although widely described as a tall wagon — Ford calls it “the world’s first purpose-built crossover vehicle” — it was classified for fuel-economy purposes as a light truck. The government allows automakers to average lower fuel economy for its light trucks than its passenger cars.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser — based on the same basic frame as the Neon small car — also earned the light-truck designation because of its large interior space.
The Sierra Club took issue with Ford’s description of its total fuel economy improvements, saying that the automaker’s claims of higher and improving fuel economy did not match an Environmental Protection Agency report that showed them lower and getting worse.
“Ford should tell the truth — it shouldn’t cover up the fact that its vehicles are guzzling more and more gas each year, and that its average fuel economy is at a 20-year low,” said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's global warming and energy program, in a statement.
Ford spokeswoman Ellen Dickson said the company used the same figures it reports to the NHTSA.
The Free Press received a copy of the 2002 Corporate Citizenship Report on Thursday. The full report is scheduled to become available on-line today at www.ford.com/go/globalcitizenship.
It lays out guiding “Business Principles” such as accountability, which were published for the first time in the report, stressing matters such as accountability, environment and community.
The annual report also showed that salaried employees’ overall job satisfaction slipped from 64 percent to 61 percent, still above the company’s 60 percent target.
This story was first published on July 18, 2003, on Detroit Free Press, one of 150 online newspaper affiliates of cars.com.
Copyright 2003 Detroit Free Press
Ford Motor Co.’s SUVs have become less fuel-efficient, even as the automaker worked toward a goal of using 25 percent less fuel over five years — a goal it disavowed earlier this year.
In the 2002 model year, Ford’s SUVs were 8.4 percent more efficient than in 2000. But the 2003 model year is shaping up to be only 5.2 percent more efficient than in 2000 — effectively giving back almost 40 percent of the progress.
Ford blamed the regression on such developments as the launch of the Lincoln Aviator midsize sport-utility vehicle and falling sales of its Ford Escape compact SUV.
In coming years, the company still expects to improve the fuel economy of its popular and profitable SUVs. The Ford brand SUVs all have names that start with “E,” from the compact Escape and midsize Explorer to the hulking Expedition and Excursion.
The phase-out of the Excursion next year — it is expected to be replaced with an extended-length version of the Expedition — should help improve the fuel economy.
So will the belated launch of a hybrid-powered gas and electric Escape SUV. That vehicle was expected to hit dealer lots this year. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford reiterated his confidence that consumers will embrace the hybrid Escape, which he said will be the “first no-compromise” hybrid SUV.
The automaker’s SUV fuel economy should also benefit from a favorable ruling by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates corporate fuel usage. Although widely described as a tall wagon — Ford calls it “the world’s first purpose-built crossover vehicle” — it was classified for fuel-economy purposes as a light truck. The government allows automakers to average lower fuel economy for its light trucks than its passenger cars.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser — based on the same basic frame as the Neon small car — also earned the light-truck designation because of its large interior space.
The Sierra Club took issue with Ford’s description of its total fuel economy improvements, saying that the automaker’s claims of higher and improving fuel economy did not match an Environmental Protection Agency report that showed them lower and getting worse.
“Ford should tell the truth — it shouldn’t cover up the fact that its vehicles are guzzling more and more gas each year, and that its average fuel economy is at a 20-year low,” said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's global warming and energy program, in a statement.
Ford spokeswoman Ellen Dickson said the company used the same figures it reports to the NHTSA.
The Free Press received a copy of the 2002 Corporate Citizenship Report on Thursday. The full report is scheduled to become available on-line today at www.ford.com/go/globalcitizenship.
It lays out guiding “Business Principles” such as accountability, which were published for the first time in the report, stressing matters such as accountability, environment and community.
The annual report also showed that salaried employees’ overall job satisfaction slipped from 64 percent to 61 percent, still above the company’s 60 percent target.
This story was first published on July 18, 2003, on Detroit Free Press, one of 150 online newspaper affiliates of cars.com.
Copyright 2003 Detroit Free Press