DEARBORN -- The Washington, D.C.-based Sierra Club is the
latest environmental group to use Ford Motor Co.'s high-profile
centennial party next week to pressure the automaker to boost the fuel
economy of its cars and trucks.
Once a fan of Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr., the Sierra Club
said Tuesday it will place ads in the New York Times and BusinessWeek
magazine slamming the company's environmental record.
The ads -- being published to coincide with Ford's 100th anniversary
June 16 -- say Ford has failed to improve the fuel efficiency of its
vehicles.
After depicting technological advances in other industries, the ad
says that Ford's Model T, which went 25 miles on a gallon of gasoline,
was more fuel efficient than the current Ford Explorer sport-utility
vehicle -- which manages just 16 miles per gallon.
Two other groups, San Francisco-based Global Exchange and Rainforest
Action Network, have asked the Dearborn Police Department for a permit
to hold demonstrations beginning June 14 across from Ford headquarters.
The activists staged their first demonstration last Saturday in San
Francisco.
Ford has become a favorite target of environmental groups in recent
years. The criticism intensified earlier this year when Ford backed away
from a pledge to improve the fuel economy of its SUV fleet by 25 percent
over five years.
Bill Ford may also be paying the price for being outspoken about his
commitment to cleaner cars and factories.
"I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't kind of hurt by (the
criticism)," he told Wall Street analysts last month. "Because to be
singled out, when for many years I felt I was a lone voice in the
wilderness, surprised me.
"I have put a lot of myself on the line over the years for this issue
and will continue to in the future. But there have been some business
realities I've had to judge over the last couple years where we've had
to make some choices."
The 700,000-member Sierra Club said its ads are meant to prod Ford
into making fuel economy a top priority over the next century.
You can reach Mark Truby at (313) 222-2082 or mtruby@
detnews.com.