Global Automakers respond to Government of Québec suite of initiatives to reduce GHG emissions

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2015 /CNW/ - "Our members are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their products, which is a goal we share with the Government of Québec," said David Adams, President, Global Automakers of Canada.  "The release of today's Propulser le Québec par l'électricité action plan to advance plug-in electric vehicles is a good first step," added Adams.

Global Automakers of Canada (GAC) noted the suite of financial, non-financial, and infrastructure initiatives outlined in its Propulser le Québec par l'électricité action plan which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation.

"Ultimately the consumer determines which vehicle they purchase based on a myriad of factors and we believe that consumers' needs and the needs of government and industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are best served by ensuring that the incentives and investments announced for plug-in electric vehicles are applicable to a suite of advanced propulsion technologies including advanced internal combustion engines, hybrids, battery electric vehicles and, hydrogen fuel cell technology,"  said Adams.  

"We look forward to dialogue with the Government of Québec to determine ways that we can collaboratively achieve the important societal goal of decreasing GHG emissions. Best practices  for governments to transition towards a zero emission vehicle fleet globally have been identified in recently released studies and regulated sales mandates imposed upon manufacturers to produce a certain percentage of zero emission vehicles is not part of such best practices.  We concur with that view and believe that there are more constructive ways to achieve significant reductions in GHG emissions from transportation," noted Adams.

Global Automakers' 14 members are working to continuously improve the fuel efficiency of their new vehicles, and reducing GHG emissions in accordance with Environment Canada's stringent greenhouse gas emissions regulations that are aligned with those of the United States and to achieve a corporate average fuel economy target of 4.3L/100km or 54.5mpg by 2025.

Members of the Global Automakers of Canada sold 86% of all new passenger cars and 68% of all new light duty vehicles in Québec through August of this year.  GAC members also are responsible for 15 of 22 current model plug-in electric vehicles available in the Québec market.

About Global Automakers of Canada (GAC)

Global Automakers of Canada is the national association representing the Canadian interests of the 14 leading international manufacturers of light duty vehicles (LDVs) including BMW/MINI, Honda/Acura, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz/Smart, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota/Lexus/Scion, Volkswagen/Audi and Volvo.

Our associate members include Ferrari, Maserati, Isuzu, McLaren and Denso

SOURCE Global Automakers of Canada

David Adams, President, Global Automakers of Canada, 416-333-2873, [email protected]