Deceptive Ad in Sacramento Bee by Washington DC-based Lobby Group Representing Detroit's Big Three Automakers as Assembly Revote

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Kalb
California Policy Coordinator
Union of Concerned Scientists

[Editor's note: A full-page ad from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has appeared in The Sacramento Bee. The misleading ad mentions the surcharges AB 493, being reconsidered today by the Assembly, would place on new highly polluting vehicles, but fails to include information on both the rebates the bill would deliver on new cleaner vehicles and the many new models that would fall into a "zero band" where neither a rebate nor a surcharge would apply.

According to an article in a yesterday's Detroit News, the alliance "may run additional radio or print ads later." (To see a copy of the ad, click here]

This is another dishonest campaign from an auto industry willing to deceive lawmakers and the public on legislation that could save people money and clean up the environment. Just two weeks ago, the auto companies' lobby group aired misleading radio ads about federal fuel economy legislation. Just last week, the alliance came to California to speak out against the Pavley clean car law. Now they're lying about the Clean Car Discount bill. The automakers have fallen into a sad pattern of using lawyers and slick public relations tactics to fight good laws instead of using their engineers to build cleaner cars.

Contrary to what the automakers say, the Clean Car Discount bill (AB 493) preserves consumer choice. To use the 2005 model year as an example, the Toyota RAV4 SUV would qualify for a nearly $900 rebate. The Honda CR-V and Ford Escape would qualify for rebates worth more than $300.

Several minivans, including the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Honda Odyssey would fall into the zero band. The Regular Cab version of the Toyota Tacoma pickup would also fall into the zero band, while the Ford Ranger Regular Cab pickup would qualify for a rebate worth more than $350.