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Has the Sierra Club's love of hybrids devolved to [[greenwashing]] Ford? The Club's Dan Becker says, "If we can work with Ford to make their Mercury Hybrid a hit, Ford will be convinced that you can make money and make a vehicle that's clean." But [[Rainforest Action Network]] (RAN) director Michael Brune counters in the ''New York Times'', "It's a nice gesture, but we think it's more PR than progress." With the PR firm [[Fenton Communications]], RAN and [[Global Exchange]] are cranking up their Jump Start Ford campaign, shaming Ford for having the worst fuel efficiency of any major car company.[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/12/automobiles/12ford.html?]
==Pushing Gas-Guzzlers==
Sales of gas-guzzling pickup trucks are softening due to high gasoline prices, so <i>PR Week</i> reports that the [[Ford]] Motor Company has launched a series of PR stunts aimed at pumping up sales to country folk, including sponsoring a monster truck rally, NASCAR races, and a marketing arrangement with country singer Toby Keith to have a video play at the beginning of Keith's concerts, showing him driving an F-series pickup. Meanwhile Toyota, "one of the few automakers currently doing very well," is holding seminars to talk up the fuel efficiency of its hybrid pickups. Which strategy is working? Ford's CEO has talked big about being an environmentalist for years, but has repeatedly [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062901911.html reneged on its promises] to build more fuel-efficient vehicles while his company [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/business/yourmoney/16ford.html loses money and market share].
"Had Mr. Ford produced more fuel-efficient vehicles like hybrids sooner," observes the <i>New York Times</i>, "he not only would have found his company keeping pace with nimble foreign competitors like Toyota when oil prices spiked, but he also would have been able to illustrate the bottom-line merit of his environmental values. Instead, Ford, is again in the all-too-familiar spot of playing corporate catch-up."
==Personnel==
*Danny Hakim, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/12/automobiles/12ford.html? With Sierra Club's Help, Ford Pushes a New Hybrid]", ''New York Times'', July 12, 2005.
*Zack Pelta-Heller, "[http://www.alternet.org/story/23582/ The New Ford Focus]", ''AlterNet'', July 19, 2005.
*Sholnn Freeman, "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062901911.html Ford Abandons Pledge On Hybrid Production]", ''Washington Post'', June 30, 2006.
*Michelle Maynard, "[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40F16FF34540C758DDDAE0894DE404482 Is Ford Running On Empty?]", ''New York Times'', July 16, 2006. (Sub req'd).