Ford has figured out a way to take advantage of the current crop of presidential candidates' green-pandering. As has been covered here at Autoblog, one of the measures some candidates take to burnish their eco-cred is swapping out their current daily drivers for more economical fare, and since no American Presidential candidate would be caught dead in anything other than an American car, Ford's Escape Hybrid is an obvious choice. The Ford advertisement shown at right (click for the full ad) takes advantage of this lucky fact for Ford. Not only is the SUV American-made, it's also a genuine hybrid vehicle, and as a bonus, it's got "green" seat fabric. You can almost taste the bipartisan tree-huggery. Of course, we all know that the vehicle-switching by candidates is essentially political theater, but in a Presidential campaign, what isn't? If you're in the market for one, look for a few lightly-used Escape Hybrids in the Beltway area after the primary season's over.
PRESS RELEASE:
NEW AD HIGHLIGHTS FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AS VEHICLE OF CHOICE FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 26 – With the 2008 Presidential campaign in full swing, Ford is touting the fact that the Escape Hybrid is the "candidate's choice" for transportation, whether at home or on the campaign trail, in ads on Capitol Hill.
Reported by major news organizations – including the Associated Press, USA Today, and BusinessWeek – the Escape Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, are playing a role in the transportation of the current crop of Presidential hopefuls and even in that of the leaders of the previous Presidential administration.
The Escape Hybrid is the first American-made hybrid to hit the market, and it remains the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet. Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid are produced at Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.
The Escape Hybrid "Candidate's Choice" ad features a headline reading "We May Not Know Where All of the Candidates Stand, But We Do Know Where a Lot of Them Sit." An image of a campaign button featuring an Escape Hybrid is the centerpiece of the ad. The new ads will appear beginning the week of September 24 in several Capitol Hill publications including CongressDaily AM, CQ Today, Roll Call, The Hill and Politico.
Escape Hybrid owners, no matter if they are Presidential candidates or not, receive multiple benefits from the hybrid electric SUV, including:
* Hybrid Technology – Ford Escape Hybrid is a "full" hybrid that maximizes fuel efficiency with the ability to run on electric or gasoline power alone, or a combination of the two to deliver up to 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway.
* Greener Living – Escape Hybrid makes it easy to drive "green" by emitting 76% less smog-forming emissions than the average new car. Escape Hybrid is PZEV-certified (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) in the states adopting California Emissions standards. Escape Hybrid also features fabric seating surfaces produced from 100 percent recycled post-industrial materials.
* No Compromise – Featuring a rugged new look for 2008, the Escape Hybrid not only offers low environmental impact and outstanding fuel economy, but has all the capability and roominess of a traditional SUV.
* Saving Green 101 – With considerable savings from fewer visits to the gas pump, the highest available federal tax credit for a hybrid (up to $3,000 for front-wheel drive and $2,200 for all-wheel drive models), various state tax credits and local incentives, and insurance discounts from major providers (Travelers Insurance offers up to a ten percent discount in certain states), Escape Hybrid is good for an owner's bank account.
About Escape Hybrid
The Ford Escape Hybrid is the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUV in the world, combining the fuel economy and emissions benefits of a full hybrid with the go-anywhere capability, toughness and spaciousness of the Ford Escape – America's favorite small SUV.
The Escape Hybrid is a "full" hybrid, meaning it automatically switches between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power or combined operation to maximize efficiency and performance. Its gasoline engine and electric motor work in concert, providing performance similar to that of a V-6 engine. In less demanding situations, the Escape Hybrid can run on its electric motor alone (at speeds up to 25 mph), its gasoline engine alone or the most efficient combination of the two.
Full hybrids achieve their greatest improvement in fuel economy during stop-and-go driving, when the electric motor is most efficient. In fact, the Escape Hybrid provides approximately 80 percent better fuel economy in city driving than the conventional V-6 Escape and can travel more than 500 miles in city driving on a single tank of gasoline.
It is an extremely clean vehicle to operate – an amazing 99.4 percent cleaner, on average than an unregulated vehicle. Escape Hybrid meets strict Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV II) and Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards.
The 2008 Escape and Escape Hybrid are believed to be the first U.S. automotive applications of 100 percent recycled fabric seating surfaces. The new fabric, supplied by Interface Fabrics, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga., is produced from 100 percent post-industrial material – defined as anything intended for retail use but never makes it to the consumer. This can be anything from plastic intended for soft drink bottles to un-dyed polyester fibers.
This plastic and polyester is processed, spun into yarn, dyed and woven into seat fabric. Recycling waste otherwise intended for landfills has obvious environmental benefits. Interface Fabrics estimates that Ford's use of post-industrial recycled materials, rather than virgin fibers, could conserve an estimated 600,000 gallons of water, 1.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents and more than 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.
Source:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/26/ford-straddles-party-lines-declares-escape-hybrid-the-candidat/
