Automakers highlight low-CO2 vehicles

Automakers are putting a new emphasis on cars and trucks that excel at cutting carbon-dioxide emissions to reduce global warming.

In the past, CO2 was treated as just a component of the noxious vapors spewing from tailpipes. Now, it’s being singled out.


“Thanks to (former vice president) Al Gore, people are becoming aware of this extra factor,” says Dominick Infante, spokesman for Subaru, which is looking to reduce its CO2 footprint. “It’s becoming something people are wondering about.”

Some cars slash overall pollution but are mediocre when it comes to the greenhouse gas emissions, which are being blamed for warming the planet, the Environmental Protection Agency finds. And vice versa. The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan, for instance, ranks a high 9.5 on a scale of 10 on EPA listings when it comes to overall low pollution but only 5 when it comes to CO2. Conversely, Toyota’s Yaris subcompact ranks 9 for low greenhouse gases, but 7 in overall low emissions.

USA Today