Ford chief sets roadblock for hybrid auto bill

Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford, who pitches himself as one of America's leading corporate environmentalists, has launched a campaign in the waning days of the legislative session to kill a plan that would reward Californians who buy the most fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. ....In a letter to Schwarzenegger that Ford copied to state lawmakers who have yet to take a final vote, he calls the plan a "Buy Japanese" bill and a "special-interest measure ... intended for almost exclusive use by Toyota Prius drivers." The Prius and Honda's Insight and Civic hybrids meet the legislation's requirements, but Ford has no product that does. Its new Escape hybrid, which will be the first full hybrid SUV to be on the market, is expected to get about 35 mpg. Ford goes on to say the legislation would hurt company employees and stockholders, and he asks the GOP governor to veto the measure if the Legislature sends it his way. Angelides, who proposed the car-pool lane bill to Pavley at the urging of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said Ford is doing his own reputation a disservice. "What Bill Ford ought to be focusing on is how Ford can make the most fuel-efficient vehicles and how Ford can beat the Japanese," Angelides said.

Bill Ford is an ass whole.