We welcome Ford's engagement with the public and its responsiveness to concerns about the company's gas-guzzling record. At the same time, we think it's important for you to know the full picture when it comes to Ford's behavior.

Here are our rebuttals to Ford's arguments:

GX and RAN Say: This announcement means only 3.6% of Ford's total fleet will use hybrid components. We think Ford's hybrids are a step in the right direction, but Ford has a long way to go on the road to recovery. Toyota is Ford's largest rival in hybrid production and plans to be producing 1 million hybrids by 2010, four times more than Ford. Toyota will be offering a hybrid option on every model it produces, while Ford will only offer hybrid versions of half its vehicles. Toyota just surpassed Ford as the second largest automaker in the world. And Toyota is earning record profits while Ford's debt is rated 'junk' by Moody's and Standard and Poor's. Toyota is reaping the benefits of embracing green technologies while Ford is still maintaining its full line of gas guzzlers.

FORD Said: In addition to increasing our hybrids we are also going to increase the development of flex-fuel vehicles that use ethanol.

GX and RAN say: 1st ethanol is hardly carbon-neutral; it takes more fossil fuels to produce ethanol than the energy in the fuel. 2nd we question Fords motivation - Ford gets extra credit for every flexible fuel vehicle it sells, regardless of whether it's actually powered by ethanol. For example, a flex-fuel Ford Explorer rated at 20 mpg is counted under federal rules as getting 33 mpg. Up to 1.2 mpg of an automakers' fuel economy obligation can be met through this loophole. The net result: 80,000 barrels per day more oil used across the industry. Ford is using flex-fuel vehicles to exploit the federal fuel economy loopholes.

FORD Said: We called on President Bush to convene a group of stakeholders in both the auto industry and government to focus on the energy challenges facing the country.

GX and RAN say: Considering that Ford's lobbyists have successfully blocked all federal efforts to end our dependence on oil, most recently in the 2005 Energy Bill, does Ford actually expect kudos for reaching out to the oil man in the White House? We need Ford to improve the fuel efficiency of its whole fleet by 2010, and build a fleet that has zero tailpipe emissions by 2020. Don't let Ford get away with its latest round of green washing. Adopt-a-dealer or pass a green fleets resolution today.

Ford Says: We recognize that reducing CO2 emissions and increasing fuel efficiency are critical challenges that our industry must help address.

Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network Say Say: We appreciate that Ford is expressing a commitment to improve its record. At the same time, we are disappointed that there remains a big gap between the company's rhetoric and the reality. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists lists Ford's cars as the worst global warming polluters in the industry. The average fuel economy of Ford's fleet is 18.8 mpg, dead last among the top six automakers for the fifth straight year, according to the EPA. And as if that weren't bad enough, the typical Ford vehicle on the road today gets worst gas mileage than the Model-T did 80 years ago.

Ford Says: We are the only car company to offer a full hybrid SUV, the Escape, which gets more than 30 miles to the gallon.

GX and RAN Say: The Ford hybrid Escape is a fine product. Unfortunately, Ford is not putting all of its energy behind this vehicle and is grossly under-producing them. In Model Year 2005 Ford is building just 20,000 hybrid Escapes. That's about six-tenths of one percent of Ford's total vehicle lineup. It's little more than a drop in the gas tank.

Ford Says: We are adding four more hybrid products to our lineup over the next three years, including Mercury Mariner, the Ford Fusion, the Mercury Milan, and the Mazda Tribute.

GX and RAN say: We are glad to hear that Ford is finally gearing up its hybrid program. But in many ways it's too little too late. When it comes to hybrids, Ford is years behind Toyota and Honda. While Ford builds 20,000 hybrids in 2005, Toyota is expecting to sell 200,000 this year—ten times as many. Ford needs to put the pedal to the metal and start offering a hybrid option for all of its vehicles.

Ford Says: We are investing heavily in developing hydrogen-powered vehicles. The State of Florida and the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport are the first customers for Ford hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) shuttle buses.

GX and RAN Say: Ford's hydrogen program is a step in the right direction. But we are left wondering why Ford is putting all of its eggs in the hydrogen basket while abandoning other clean energy technologies. Ford has discontinued its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and pure Electric Vehicles (EV) programs, despite consumer demand for these products. Instead of limiting its choices, Ford should be tapping into its spirit of innovation and experimenting with all technological options. To make matters worse, in late 2004, Ford supported the filing of a federal lawsuit to overturn California's popular new vehicle emissions standards, the nation's first-ever rules to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to global warming and the most advanced automotive GHG reduction targets in the world.

Ford Says: Our new, green-roofed Dearborn Truck Plant is the most environmentally innovative manufacturing plant in the world.

GX and RAN Say: The Dearborn Truck Plant may be an environmental dream, but the products coming out of it are an environmental nightmare. The plant produces the gas-guzzling F-150 pickup trucks. Each of these vehicles generate an estimated 100 tons of atmospheric carbon during their lifetimes, and the plant builds some 280,000 trucks a year. Do the math: That's a quarter billion tons of carbon emissions rolling off the assembly line.

Ford Says: More than half of our research and development budget is dedicated to improving the environmental performance of our products and facilities.

GX and RAN Say: That's great! We can't wait until these investments pay off. In the meantime, we remain frustrated that since the oil crisis of the 1970s, Ford vehicles have ranked dead last among the major automakers in fuel economy for 20 out of 30 years.

Ford Says: We're leading a national multi-stakeholder effort to find new policy and market-based solutions to climate change and energy security challenges

GX and RAN Say: Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network are pleased to be engaged with Ford executives in regular dialogue. The ongoing discussions are key to once again having Ford be a technological leader in the auto industry. However, until Ford shows real progress in improving its fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions, we will continue our grassroots campaign and encourage people around the world to take action to Jumpstart Ford.