Transcript: Toyota Wins Green Car of the Year

This transcript is from a PodTech.net podcast at:
http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1664/toyota-wins-green-car-of-the-year

Guest: Ed La Rocque - Toyota
Host: Ron Cogan - Green Car Journal

Ron Cogan - Green Car Journal
Thank you all for coming; I'm Ron Cogan, Editor and Publisher of Green Car Journal. As many of you may know, our imperative is to focus on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and the environment. We strive very hard to be in the 'Auto Magazine of Today', providing bold features, thought provoking essays, interviews with leaders in the fields that we cover, with folks like the Sierra Club's Carl Pope, Oil Manteno and Pekins, Auto industry icons like Bill Ford, (Inaudible) and Carroll Shelby. It's a pretty inflected mix, but our coverage really reflects that because where we are today involves all of these issues, energy, automobiles and environment, and of course our first love automobiles which is why we're all here.

Today, we're here to honor a vehicle; the best example wise what could achieved, what environmental performance is viewed as important as the Auto Industry's traditional touchtones, the sanity, quality, value and performance blending in with the achievements with these traditional touchstones is not easy. In many cases it's also not cheap; applying the latest and the most technologically advanced system to any vehicle model display the commitment and often enough they compete with fate as well. But to advance automobiles forward, in ways to honor very real needs of today and tomorrow, the kind of -- this kind of commitment is needed, leadership is needed, the sense of missions is needed. When you step back and where -- where we are today, with gas prices of levels, we never thought we'd see in this country our energy and security at risk because it depends on such cortile and persistent air quality issues in many of our featured cities.

It's easy yet to understand that the time for talk has passed -- has passed. If vehicles could be made to offer improved environment performance at acceptable cost, and this to be done as a matter of course. Recognizing leadership in this area is the goal of Green Car Journals, Green Car of The Year Program. Those vehicles that achieve greater environmental levels of performance, and influence the direction of other models should be recognized with these achievements. So, we shall today; Green Car Journal Editors review dozens of 2007 model year vehicles that have raised the bar in some way in the area of environmental performance, which also met our rules of a on-sale date of January 1st, earlier. These included near Zero Emission Gasoline Vehicles, advanced diesels, cars and trucks that run alternate fuels like E85 ethenol, natural gas, even hydrogen, and of course gasoline electrics. Ultimately five or four singled outlets finalists for our 2007 Green Car Of The Year Award.

This years finalists are 'The Honda Civic GX', 'Lexus GS 450h Hybrid', 'The Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec', 'The Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid' and 'The Toyota Camry Hybrid'. Now, each of these in their own raises the bar in environmental performance and shows that real progress can be made with great minds and the great amount of corporate direction come together. This year, our eleven member jury comprised of four Green Car Journal staff and seven outside jurors; these credentials are just without question. We are pleased that Carroll Shelby, an Icon in our industry has joined the Green Car of the Year jury again this year.

The environmental prospective is well looked after with jurors -- jurors Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club; Francis Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Kevin Knobloch, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Dr. Alan Lloyd, President of the International Council on Clean Transportation; Christopher Flavin, President of Worldwatch Institute, and Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. Now, I'm pleased to announce the Green Car Journal's 2007 Green Car Of the Year; the vehicle that one praise from both environmental and automotive jurors is Toyota's 2007 Camry Hybrid. I'd like to congratulate Toyota and welcome Toyota's National Car Marketing Manager, Ed La Rocque to the stage to accept the award.

Ed La Rocque - Toyota
Thank you Ron. Good afternoon everyone. On behalf of Toyota, I'm pleased to accept 'The Green Car of The Year Award' for The Camry Hybrid. We'd also like to congratulate the other nominees who were Mercedes, Honda, General Motors and of course Lexus. We'd also like to recognize The Green Car Journal, it's where the industries leading voices to inform and educate consumers on the advantages and environmental benefits of the advanced technological vehicle. More than 10 years ago, Toyota made a bold and risky decision to invest tabulate and unproved technology; the goal was to build a car that would deliver high level of fuel economy, and low emissions. When the PRIUS came to the US market in 2000, we had a model sales for 12,000 units, and a objective that someday would appeal to a main stream buyer.

This year we will sell more than a 100,000 PRIUS in this market, and we also launch a Hybrid Synergy drive Powertrain here on most important main stream product, you can. Late last in month, the first Camry Hybrid rolled online in Georgia, Contiki allowing us to increase volume in both PRIUS and the Camry Hybrid in the future. In Toyota, we're totally committed to innovation, constant improvement and the environment; we believe the launch of the number one selling car in America as a Hybrid, built in the US represents no better example. Infact, next year we're trying to sell more than 300,000 Hybrids from Toyota and Lexus in US. Finally, we would like to dedicate this award to Dave Hermance; his vision and ability to communicate the complexities and more importantly the benefits of Hybrid technology are absolutely critical to our success. We'll certainly miss (Inaudible). Ron, thank you again for recognizing Toyota and for this award. Thank you very much.

Ron Cogan - Green Car Journal
I'm pleased to acknowledge the hardwork and innovation that's put into a great environmentally possible vehicle and share that there are not many other countries environmental leaders have given to this Hybrid's event. Thank all of you for coming today.