Bush will meet with Detroit auto execs tomorrow, and will push for more hybrids
It's time. President Bush will tell auto execs from the Detroit auto companies that he supports building more hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles, according to spokesman Tony Snow. Snow said that during tomorrow's long-awaited meeting with the heads of Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group, Bush will say (at the very least) that he wants the companies to succeed, in part by offering green cars. Two previously scheduled meetings between the President and the Big 2.5, where the auto execs wanted to tell him the types of support they want from the government, were postponed. Snow did not say if the Bush administration was ready to offer help to the struggling companies. In the past, the auto companies have said they don't want a government bailout and Bush has said he wants the companies to work things out on their own. The auto companies are working on alternative energy sources - hydrogen, gasoline and possibly diesel hybrid -
for their vehicles, as you can see in the related stories listed below.
One quote from Snow makes me think that even with the push for green cars, the environment will not be at the top of anyone in the meeting's list of concerns. Snow said gasoline alternatives, "give us a little better ability to try to wean ourselves from an addiction to oil, especially foreign oil." Hey, Tony, they also help us breathe better.
Related:
- Bob Lutz admits "mistake" with hybrids but still sees promise in technology
- GM's hydrogen Sequel Test Drive, Part 1: Intro
- GM will announce a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) at NAIAS in January
- Ford Focus FCV in the AutoblogGreen Garage, the video
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