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Adults and children look over the various cars on display at the Albany Auto Show at the Times Union Center on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. Thirty manufacturers were on display at the three-day show. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union) lessAdults and children look over the various cars on display at the Albany Auto Show at the Times Union Center on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. Thirty manufacturers were on display at the three-day show. ... morePhoto: Paul Buckowski
Albany
Kathy Curtis loves the Toyota Prius hybrid for its fuel economy and durability (she put 289,000 miles on one) and, just as important, for what it says about herself and her belief in fighting climate change by driving an efficient car.
"The Prius is an iconic green product and that's why people buy it," Curtis said of the popular model, which combines an electric and gas motor in order to get high fuel mileage.
New Paltz resident Alexandra Zissu agrees. "I've had four over the last decade," she said.
"I did my research. I wanted the most ecologically friendly car and the cheapest," she said, adding that it also was a way of telling the world that she cared about the environment.
"I liked what it signified as I drove around. There was a little nod I'd get from other Prius drivers," Zissu said.
But now, both women are looking at different brands such as the all-electric Tesla. Not so much for practical reasons — Zissu's mechanic is urging her to keep the Prius — but because of President Donald J. Trump.
Specifically, Trump's battle on a specific issue and how a number of auto manufacturers have responded.
Earlier this fall, a number of car makers sided with the Trump administration in the fight over California gas mileage standards.
California wants to stick with an Obama-era standard calling for a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
But Trump wants to ease that, which has led to litigation. One lobbying group, the Association of Global Automakers, has essentially sided with Trump. In addition to Toyota, GM, FiatChrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Aston Martin, and Maserati are in that camp.
On the other side are Ford, Volkswagen, BMW and Honda. They reached a side deal with California earlier in the year to meet tougher standards and oppose Trump on this issue. The environmentalist blowback has been especially fierce for Toyota because the Prius has been an environmental icon to so many.
Curtis and Zissu are both committed environmentalists. Curtis is executive director of Clean and Healthy New York, which advocates for sustainable products, and Zissu is on the board.
But others are upset, too. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich in October tweeted his unhappiness with Toyota to 2.7 million followers. Filmmaker Michael Moore, who two decades ago pilloried GM in his film "Roger and Me," decried Toyota's decision as well.
"These companies are really on the wrong side of history here," Conor Bambrick, air and energy director for Environmental Advocates of New York, said of the firms siding with Trump. "Not everybody who buys a Prius buys it because they want to save money on gas. There is a strong environmental contingent who buys those cars and they probably will (be) irritated," said Jim Motavalli, an author who follows the development of green cars.
Toyota in a prepared statement said the company is committed to the environment and they took this tack for a specific reason. "Toyota entered into this legal action not as a plaintiff or a defendant, and not to favor any political party. Toyota is intervening to impact how emissions standards are applied. We want to help forge a sustainable compromise for consumers and the environment. Without joining this legal action, we would have no ability to affect the outcome
"We do not believe that there should be different fuel economy standards in different states. There should be one standard for all Americans and all auto companies. That is why we decided to be part of this legal matter. Doing so does not diminish our commitment to the environment, nor does it lower our desire to manufacture vehicles that produce fewer emissions year-after-year."
California standards are important because it is the nation's largest auto market. Manufacturers thus feel they have to meet those standards for the entire nation, rather than produce separate cars for California and other states.
It's unclear if this battle will drive a larger buying backlash against the firms that are on Trump's side.
There are lots of considerations that go into a vehicle purchase, including the price and cost of operation, observers say.
"At the margin, people probably aren't going to decide whether to buy a certain make or model of car based on how these automakers responded to Trump's decision," said Ben Griffy, an assistant professor of economics at the University at Albany.
Moreover, those who follow the industry note that consumer demand pushes what automakers offer. Consumers have for years been buying SUVs and pickup trucks, more so than ecological cars like the Prius.
The popularity of these larger vehicles is reflected in federal Environmental Protection Agency studies on whether manufacturers are on track to meet mileage and emissions standards. Those standards are set for a manufacturer's fleet, or aggregate offerings of cars and trucks.
A 2017 study by the agency found that only two companies: Subaru and Honda, out of 14 major carmakers, were below the emissions targets.
Politics as well as consumer choice can come into play too, even for the manufacturers.
"The domestic automakers are a little afraid of his wrath," Motavalli said, referring to Trump.
Nor is the Trump mileage fight the first controversy that automakers have been through. Volkswagen in 2015 was caught falsifying emission records for its diesel engines. They had to pay fines and offer to buy back cars from owners who were unhappy over the deceit.
The company, according to reports, has since regained much of its market share, even though that success is also coming with a new lineup of SUVs.
Moreover, auto-related controversies have been around for decades. Remember the exploding Ford Pintos and rusting Chevy Vegas? Ford and Chevrolet both survived those. Then there was the grandfather of auto embroilments: the squirrely-handling Chevrolet Corvair, which Ralph Nader highlighted in his 1965 book, "Unsafe at Any Speed."
Those events ultimately led to vast safety improvements. And today's concern about emissions is, aside from the California fight, having an impact.
Most manufacturers are now offering hybrids and pure-electric plug-in cars.
But ultimately the equation of dollars and sense as well as personal needs and preference may decide which fork in the road a car buyer takes.
"If somebody is deciding between making a political statement and saving a couple thousand dollars and buying a car that meets their needs, I don't think the political statement is going to win," Griffy said.
rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
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