WASHINGTON—The 70th Washington Auto Show opened for the week in D.C. Jan. 27 and there was a distinct buzz in the air.
John O'Donnell, executive vice president of the Washington Area New Auto Dealers Association who are organizers of the show, said compared to two years ago, the 2012 show is “pure optimism”.
In 2009, the Big Three U.S car manufactures, General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler were on the brink of collapse.
General Motors, however, reclaimed the title of the world’s top car manufacturer last year and with more than 700 vehicles from over 42 domestic and import manufacturers on display, the auto industry appears to be back on its feet again.
Speaking at the Auto Show opening, David Sandalow, assistant secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), said the U.S. auto industry is infected with a “palpable sense of excitement, optimism, and opportunity.”
By 2050 the number of cars on the road is expected to double globally to 2 billion cars, he told reporters, and more immediately, the industry will add an estimated 100,000 more jobs over the next few years.
Technological Edge
The buzz at the D.C. show is not just about surviving, however, it is about new possibilities, summed up by the this year’s theme ‘Safety and Sustainability in Motion’ and the special exhibit, “The Advanced Technology SuperHighway”.
With the price of fuel likely to rise and the United States determined to have energy independence, the race is now on for fuel-efficient cars, Sandalow said. “It is a make or break moment,” he said. “We either innovate or be overtaken.”
The United States is looking to position itself as the world’s pre-eminent automaker and has already proposed “landmark fuel economy standards,” Sandalow said.
Last year, the U.S. government, in conjunction with 13 automakers, agreed to boost the fuel economy of cars and light-duty trucks sold in the United States to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
The new agreement more than doubles the current corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standard of 24.1 mpg.
While many automakers on the market already produce hybrids and electric cars with miles per gallon ratios above the new standard, the trick is to get that happening with the same performance criteria as a combustion engine car.
And so it is in the area of advanced technologies that the U.S. government is focused, said Sandalow.
The DOE is presently working with U.S. manufacturers, universities, and national laboratories across a portfolio of vehicle technologies including: low temp combustion—estimated to halve fuel consumption by 50 percent in light-duty vehicles; weight reduction—a 10 percent reduction in the engine weight alone can improve fuel economy by 6 to 8 percent; and batteries that will “last longer, go further, and cost less” for electric vehicles, Sandalow said.
Next...Race is On
Race is On
With a new lease on life however, U.S. car manufacturers are already developing their own initiatives.
At the show Thursday, GM North America President Mark Reuss said the company was looking at ways to gain fuel economy on top of its plug-in hybrids and battery electric cars, including lighter but more durable materials and stronger, but less resistant, tires.
Reuss announced that from this year, Chevrolet vehicles sold in the United States would display new Ecologic environmental labels that will detail the environmental features of a vehicle not only as a finished product but also in its manufacture and “end of life disposability.”
“Eighty-five percent of the car can be broken down and reduced to landfill components,” he said.
Chevrolet is the first carmaker to include a label of this kind on its vehicles.
The competition for fuel efficiency and performance, however, is stiff with global giants like Japan’s Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi and South Korea’s Hyundai, looking to gain the edge on the sustainable market.
Toyota was the world’s leading car manufacturer until the tsunami hit Japan March last year, with the Camry America’s top-selling sedan 12 years in a row. Toyota is competitive in sustainability, refining its early plug-in hybrid Prius to include a larger version, due to be released in the fall, and a smaller, completely electric version, says promoter Laura Voss at the show.
The company is also exploring hydrogen fuel cell technology, which produces only heat and water as emissions, and has even implemented a solar powered ventilation system to cool the car in the heat of the day.
Hyundai is not to be underestimated either. The Hyundai Sonata is generally ranked three in top mid-sized cars in the United States behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, but it is in fuel efficient technology that the company is looking to gain ground.
David Zuchowski, vice president of sales in the United States says the company is endeavoring to leap frog present technology. Hyundai is already the first in the industry to use lithium batteries in its electric cars, and the first auto manufacturer to incorporate its own steel production into its manufacturing line.
European companies too are looking at new ways to compete. Speaking at the Washington Auto Show, Jonathan Browning, president and CEO of Volkswagen America, said 2011 had been a good year for VW— the best since 2002.
The company was innovating in fuel efficiency for clean diesel, gas and electric cars, he said, and will include a hybrid model of the successful turbo diesel sedan, the VW Jetta, by the end of the year.
Browning said as part of a whole vision approach that supports behavior reflective of a sustainable lifestyle, the company was expanding its Think Blue Campaign in the form of a two-year sponsorship of Bikes Belong, a national organization that works to get more people on more bicycles more often.
The Volkswagen display included a bicycle that could fold up and fit in the back of the car.
John O'Donnell said the next three years looked “positive” for the industry but there was still much to be done in terms of infrastructure. Located in the nation’s capital, he noted that electric vehicles need charging stations and cars running on gas need gas outlets and was keen to give the industry’s needs a plug.
“We need leadership from Congress to clearly indicate investment in infrastructure,” he said.
The Epoch Times is a sponsor of The 2012 Washington Auto Show, which is scheduled for Jan. 27 - Feb, 5, at the Washington Convention Center.
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