Bad Toyota

On October 3, Thomas Friedman wrote this op-ed in the Times. Here's an excerpt:

"Toyota, which pioneered the industry-leading, 50-miles-per-gallon Prius hybrid, has joined with the Big Three U.S. automakers in lobbying against the tougher mileage standards in the Senate version of the draft energy bill.

Now why would Toyota, which has used the Prius to brand itself as the greenest car company, pull such a stunt? Is it because Toyota wants to slow down innovation in Detroit on more energy efficient vehicles, which Toyota already dominates, while also keeping mileage room to build giant pickup trucks, like the Toyota Tundra, at the gas-guzzler end of the U.S. market?"

So, Toyota is lobbying against a bill that would increase U.S. fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles to 35 m.p.g. by 2020. This doesn't really seem consistent with the message they put out in commercials. If the Big Three are involved, it also doesn't jibe with Chevy's new campaign "gas friendly to gas free."

Go here to tell Toyota to get on the right side of this bill.