AutoNation (NYSE:AN) is the first major car dealer group to join Plug-In Partners, calling on automakers to manufacture plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and make them available to American customers.
AutoNation is linking to Plug-In Partners’ website where customers can place soft orders for PHEVs.
PHEVs are hybrid vehicles that dramatically reduce our dependence on oil by plugging into the grid to recharge. PHEVs achieve up to 100 mpg and offer customers a real-world solution to high gas costs, poor air quality, climate change and over-reliance on oil.
For three years, the Jumpstart Ford Campaign has been enlisting the support of Ford dealers to help persuade Ford Motor Company to stop pushing gas-guzzling cars, trucks and SUVs.
Of the 20 million barrels of oil consumed in the United States each day, 70 percent is used for transportation.
“The development of plug-in hybrids could reduce America’s addiction to oil,” said AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson. We believe Americans will buy these vehicles, which is why we want to sell them.”
A soft order is a commitment from an individual, business, or unit of government to purchase a PHEV once the ultra-efficient vehicles become commercially available.
The non-profit organization Plug-In Partners was formed in 2006 with the aim of procuring soft fleet orders around the country. To date, Plug-In Partners has formed partnerships with nearly 60 cities and counties - including Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore and Phoenix – as well as businesses and utilities.
“We hope that Ford and other automakers will take this as yet another sign that its company’s future is in improving its fuel economy and leading the nation in miles per gallon not gas guzzled,” said Mike Hudema, Independence from Oil Director with Global Exchange. “In addition to continuing to push Ford, we will also be working with energy companies to ensure that when these vehicles hit the market they are plugging into a clean grid.”
www.autonation.com
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