Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of nine car and light truck manufacturers.

History
Afraid that their vote to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration might make Congress more likely to increase fuel efficiency standards, the automobile industry is "trying to polish its image." The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is claiming, in newspaper and radio ads, and on cleaning sponges given to Congressional staffers, that "cars are 99% cleaner than they used to be." (The Union of Concerned Scientists calls the Auto Alliance campaign "highly misleading.")

An Auto Alliance spokesperson said increased fuel standards would be "very difficult to achieve," because of the popularity of large vehicles. "It's not what we manufacture; it's what consumers buy," she said. 

2007 fight against fuel efficiency standards
"Automakers plan to attack congressional efforts to raise fuel mileage standards in a series of radio and newspaper advertisements this weekend, the unofficial start of summer driving season," reported The Hill in May 2007. "The ad campaign, sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, focuses on states with a high proportion of truck and SUV drivers to stoke grassroots opposition to a Senate bill that would raise fuel standards for cars and trucks by 10 miles per gallon over the next 10 years. "

The auto lobby has a website at http://www.drivecongress.com with a toll-free number to get US drivers lobbying Congress against fuel efficiency standards.

In his new role as co-chair of the PR firm Fleishman-Hillard's government relations (or lobbying) practice, former U.S. Senator Jim Talent will be "spearheading the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' bid to torpedo the effort to raise fuel mileage standards to 52 miles per gallon" by 2030, reported O'Dwyer's PR Daily in June 2007. Instead, the automakers are supporting a compromise measure from Senators Carl Levin and Kit Bond. "Talent cannot lobby for the Levin-Bond bill because of Senate rules," explained O'Dwyer's. "He can do media outreach on behalf of the carmakers." 

Membership
Members, as of March 2005, are:
 * BMW Group,
 * DaimlerChrysler
 * Ford Motor Company
 * General Motors
 * Mazda
 * Mitsubishi Motors
 * Porsche
 * Toyota; and
 * Volkswagen

Contact details
1401 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (202) 326-5500 Fax: (202) 326-5598 Web: http://www.autoalliance.org/

SourceWatch resources

 * Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth
 * Coalition for Vehicle Choice
 * Fuel efficiency standards and the laws of physics