2001-11-26 福特汽車的多功能休旅車系如果繼續耗用大量的汽油，該公司恐怕就要食言而肥了。去年夏天，福特公司承諾要在2005年底前改進多功能休旅車系的省油效率達25%；同時，另外美國三大汽車製造商的另外兩家，通用與克萊斯勒公司也不甘落後，說他們將與福特公司同步。但是現在，他們質疑這項目標是否可被達成。福特汽車的新任總裁威廉•克萊二世，其個人雖以對環境友善的形象而著名，然而他的公司所生產的汽車目前平均每加侖只能行駛23.9英哩（相較於通用汽車24.2英哩，克萊斯勒23.1英哩）。汽車工業傾向利用創新的科技，例如燃料電池引擎或其他燃料種類，以及更大幅度的改善，例如較輕型的汽車和更良好汽油轉換器以增強效率；但是，這兩家公司提出警告說，這些改變將不會像福特公司所先前預期地一樣馬上出現。

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版權歸屬Earth Day Network，環境資訊協會 (許心欣 譯，朱敬平 審校)

中英對照譯稿請見：http://e-info.org.tw/2001/11/1129/
edn01112602.htm

The Ford Motor Company might have to eat its words if its fleet of sport utility vehicles continues to gobble gas. Last summer, company reps promised to improve SUV fuel efficiency 25 percent by 2005. Not willing to be outdone, the two other Big Three automakers - General Motors and DaimlerChrysler - said they'd keep pace with Ford. Now, though, they question whether the goal is attainable. New CEO William Clay Ford, Jr., is known for his unusually eco-friendly outlook, but his company's entire fleet of vehicles currently averages just 23.9 miles per gallon. (G.M. averages 24.2 mpg, while DaimlerChrysler averages 23.1 mpg.) The auto industry intends to use technological innovations such as hybrid electric-gas engines and other, more incremental improvements like lighter vehicles and better transmissions to improve fuel efficiency, but they caution that the changes won't be as swift as Ford predicted.

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