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Non-Tech : IMPCO Technologies (IMCO), formerly AirSensors (ARSN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Oravetz who wrote (245)	5/9/2001 12:35:52 PM
From: Jim Oravetz	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 298

SemiOT:In Race With Ford, GM Plans to Speed Pace Of Fuel-Efficiency Changes in Light Trucks By JEFFREY BALL Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PONTIAC, Mich. -- General Motors Corp. said it plans to accelerate introducing new technologies to make its light trucks more fuel-efficient as the company scrambles to avoid falling behind rival Ford Motor Co. in a race to make its vehicles less damaging to the environment. GM, in an unusually candid presentation, disclosed that its previous plans weren't aggressive enough to prevent the No. 1 auto maker's fleet of sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans from falling behind Ford's fleet in the increasingly competitive area of fuel economy. But GM officials stressed that they are already beefing up their product plan to maintain what they describe as a lead over Ford, rolling out such features as engines with cylinders that shut off when a vehicle isn't accelerating, thus saving fuel without sacrificing performance. "We need to do something because we have declared our intention to stay a leader" in light-truck fuel economy, said Tanvir Ahmad, a GM fuel-efficiency specialist. Amid a debate in Washington about national energy policy, all auto makers are paying more attention to the fuel efficiency of their cars and trucks. GM invited reporters Tuesday into its environmental-policy "war room," whose walls are covered with internal GM documents detailing the company's assessment of how GM's vehicles compare with those of its rivals in such areas as fuel efficiency. GM officials have been frustrated that Ford is snagging the environmental "green" mantle since last summer, when Ford announced it would improve the fuel economy of its SUV fleet by 25% over five years. Department of Transportation statistics show that GM and Ford are tied in the fuel economy of their light trucks, but GM officials said last summer that, according to their internal calculations, GM's light trucks already are more fuel-efficient than Ford's. And they pledged that GM would do whatever it takes to maintain that lead. But Tuesday's presentation shows how hard GM will have to work to avoid falling behind Ford. If Ford lives up to its SUV pledge, according to one document on the GM room's wall, GM "may lose the leadership" that GM contends its light-truck fleet currently has over Ford for the next few years. GM believes it would regain that leadership when it rolls out a new version of its full-size trucks for the 2005 or 2006 model years. GM indicated there were two reasons that it is in danger of falling behind Ford in light-truck fuel-economy: GM is planning to add features to some of its light trucks -- features such as bigger wheels -- that add weight and reduce fuel economy, and Ford is scheduled to introduce more-fuel-efficient versions of some of its current light-truck models before GM does. GM officials also said they were skeptical that Ford would be able to meet its promise to boost SUV fuel economy. A Ford spokeswoman said the No. 2 auto maker is "committed to meeting our goals when the five years are over." In car-fuel economy, GM's documents said Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are the leaders, with more-aggressive plans to introduce new technologies such as hybrid-electric vehicles than GM is contemplating.