The car and light truck classifications were arbitrarily created to reduce the objections of Detroit to several federal regulations including CAFE. Without those expemptions it is quite likely that many of the fuel mileage and crash rules for cars would not exist. It is fairly safe to say that Subaru was not a player in creating the rules and loopholes by which they now compete. How "green" a company is has little or nothing to do with whether they build trucks, cars or kayaks. It has to do with how they conduct their business. There is a lot of greenwash out there and little real action. On that regard I have no idea how green Subaru is relative to other manufacturing firms. It also has little to do with the fact Subaru supports groups and activities that promote active outdoor lifestyles. That is called marketing and product positioning. That they believe the market wants traits in thier vehicles not compatible with the arbitrary classification of car vs truck is also irrelevant as to whether it is or is not a green company. To get some background on the issue I checked out the Subaru web page. The following is from a Subaru news release. As a news release I assume it is acceptable to repost. ---------------------------------------------------------- The primary reason the 2005 model year Outback will be classified according to NHTSA as a light duty truck is because it was completely redesigned to meet customer demand for more SUV-type features. Subaru pioneered the crossover vehicle category back in 1995 with the Legacy Outback - the World's First Sport Utility Wagon. Today, the crossover category is the fastest growing segment in the auto industry. Through our market research, we know that customers don't want to sacrifice fuel economy, comfort, ease of entry, or ride quality; but desire SUV-like features such as dark-tinted side rear windows, higher ground clearance, and approach and departure angles suitable for off-road driving. Customers frequently choose Subaru Outback over conventional truck-based SUVs because of its outstanding fuel economy, performance, handling, and safety. The new Outback will continue to deliver the best of both worlds to the popular cross-over segment and remain a strong alternative to SUVs. The new Outback, to debut at the Chicago Auto Show in early February, was designed to be a light duty truck. In fact, both the Outback Wagon and Sedan will exceed the NHTSA light duty truck standards on 4 of 5 requirements including break over angle, departure angle, running clearance, and axle clearance. Subaru has always made fuel economy a top priority in its product development process. Subaru has a track record of producing superior crossover vehicles that meet stringent federal safety and emissions standards. The new Outback is no exception. The base model Outback is expected to have improved gas mileage for model year 2005, while we will also offer a model with enhanced performance characteristics for those customers that have expressed that desire. The new Outback Sedan and Wagon will meet federal emissions standards for light duty truck - which is as stringent as emission standards for light duty vehicles as defined by the EPA and ARB. However, final testing by the EPA for emissions compliance and fuel economy label calculations for model year 2005 Outback has not yet been completed and therefore is not available. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Feb 03 2004 - 17:01:34 PST
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