Consumers are finding they don't have to sacrifice style or utility to make a difference for the environment
When it comes to new green technologies, consumers everywhere are asking the same questions about their purchases of everything from light bulbs to new cars:
"Will it cost me more or pay me back over time?"
"Where's the selection?"
"Do I have to sacrifice design, utility or safety if I want to go green?"
When it comes to automobile technology, the great news is that environmental choice is expanding rapidly. And, as we say at GM, "you don't have to go broke to go green." With GM's broad new range of "Green By Design" vehicles, consumers are finding they don't have to sacrifice style or utility to make a difference for the environment.
Affordable Hybrids
Today, GM offers the most affordable hybrid SUV in Canada with the very popular Saturn VUE Green Line. Also joining the GM stable this year are hybrid-electric versions of the North American Car of the Year, the Saturn Aura, and a hybrid version of the all new and highly anticipated Chevrolet Malibu. With such affordable new hybrids in dealerships this year, customers are finding they can now get into fuel-sipping technology without sacrificing the value, design or the great service they expect. GM has announced 10 new hybrid vehicles for Canada, including two-mode hybrid
versions of the new Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon arriving this fall and a two-mode hybrid version of the iconic, Oshawa-made Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. GM's new two-mode hybrid pickups will be the first hybrid vehicles ever built in Canada!
Green Choices for
"Car Heaven"
At GM, green technology is all about choice, quality and great value. GM offers a far greater selection of vehicles that achieve 40 miles per gallon (or 7 litres/100kms highway) than any other auto maker in Canada. If you are looking for fuel-sipping vehicles, you need go no further than your GM dealership - be it for the Pontiac Vibe, Wave, Solstice, G5 or G6, the Chevy Aveo, Cobalt, Malibu, HHR or Impala or the Saturn Vue or Sky.
GM is also the exclusive
auto partner of the Clean Air Foundation's "Car Heaven" program
This program - www.car heaven.com - which helps retire older, higher-emitting vehicles while offering program users a unique $1,000 incentive toward a new fuel-efficient GM vehicle. Many people are amazed to learn that there are more than one million 20-year-old vehicles still on the road in Canada today, each emitting approximately 37 times as much as our new model GM vehicles. Through "Car Heaven," we are helping to send the oldest clunkers to Car Heaven, replacing them with far greener choices from GM.
Saving Fuel on the Highway
with Active Fuel Management
But new green technology selection doesn't stop there. GM's new "Active Fuel Management" engine technology is another great way for Canadians to reduce their fuel costs while helping the environment. Active Fuel Management (or AFM) engines, manufactured in St. Catharines, Ont., are now available on 15 new GM vehicles at no extra cost. AFM seamlessly shuts down half the engine's cylinders to conserve fuel when they are not needed - such as when you are cruising on the highway.
For many Canadians, highway driving is more the norm and that makes AFM a great way to improve fuel economy on the highway. In fact, in the first quarter of 2007, more fuel was saved by the application of AFM on new GM vehicles in Canada (and therefore more greenhouse gas was reduced) than was saved by new hybrid vehicles sold by any competitor in the same time period. Again, going green comes down to offering more green technology options for Canadians.
Bio-Power Reduces More Greenhouse Gases
We are also hearing a lot more these days about renewable fuels such as ethanol that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions when it is substituted for gasoline. GM is a world leader in the development of "Flex Fuel" bio-fuel vehicles that are designed to run on either gasoline or fuel blends containing up to 85 per cent ethanol (E85). Recent Government of Canada studies show that switching over to E85 fuel can achieve a net life-cycle reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ranging anywhere from 46 to 64 per cent. Change the fuel and you change everything!
GM offers 15 flex fuel models capable of running on this bio-fuel, enabling great performance with much lower greenhouse gas emissions. Again - more choice and more ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Future Is Electric
While GM proudly offers Canadians the most green vehicle choices today, the near future will offer even more diversity of technologies and fuels that reduce vehicle emissions. Right here in Canada, GM is now manufacturing the world's largest test fleet of emission-free hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell). GM is also developing a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue to further improve hybrid technology.
But perhaps the most exciting "game changer" is the pure electric drive Chevrolet Volt. Unveiled as the star of this year's Detroit International Auto Show, the Chevy Volt is a great looking car designed for everyday city drivers. For Canadians who typically drive 65 kilometres per day or less, this rechargeable, plug-in electric vehicle could cut out trips to the gas station altogether. You'll just charge up overnight from any electric outlet as you do with your cellphone. And when a range of 65 kilometres is not enough, no problem. The Chevy Volt has a small fuel-powered generator that kicks in to recharge the lithium ion battery and extend the Volt's range to well over 1,000 kilometres. GM is working with leading battery technology companies and other partners to bring the Volt to market by as soon as 2010. The Volt will be on display in Canada this June.
Whether it's more affordable hybrids, Active Fuel Management, E85 bio-power, future fuel cell and plug-in electric vehicles, or just more great, small, fuel-efficient cars for Canadians, GM is thinking "Green By Design." And that's good for consumers and our planet.
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