While most
automakers are effectively meeting environmental goals and regulations, brand
consultancy Interbrand asserts that the ones going beyond compliance to produce
innovative products are being perceived as the greenest brands. Ford is a prime
example in Interbrand's 2013 Best Global Green Brands report, as the company's
fuel-efficient EcoBoost engine technology helped it rise 13 spots from last
year to become the No. 2 brand in the world.
The Interbrand Best
Global Green Brands report examines the gap between a company’s environmental
practices and consumers’ perceptions of those initiatives, rating each marque
on how well its sustainability efforts are resonating with the public. The high
visibility for Ford's EcoBoost technology has come from the automaker's heavy
promotion of the best-selling Ford
F-150 pickup truck, which is available with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that
produces 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque while still returning up
to 22 mpg on the highway.
"The debut of
EcoBoost technology in the F-150 a few years ago was a perfect transition point
toward a greener outlook at Ford, because the efficiency gains came without
sacrificing any of the performance that the brand's fans had come to expect,"
said John Melkonian, general manager of Stoneham Ford, a Massachusetts Ford dealer. "Since
then, Ford has introduced EcoBoost engines for most of its lineup, so
eco-conscious buyers can feel good about their purchase without feeling bored
while driving."
Though Interbrand's
new report focuses on consumer perception, Ford recently released a wealth of
hard evidence showing how it has reduced its environmental impact. From 2000 to
2012, the automaker lowered its CO2 emissions at global facilities by 37
percent per vehicle, and it has planned a 30 percent reduction from 2010 to
2025. Meanwhile, Ford's tailpipe emissions have decreased by 16 percent per
vehicle since 2007, thanks to the introduction of new, efficient vehicles like
the Ford Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids.
Ford's gas-electric
lineup, which also includes the Fusion Hybrid and C-MAX Hybrid, has already
broken the brand's full-year hybrid sales record in just five months of
reported sales in 2013. The automaker has sold about 37,000 hybrid models
through May, topping the previous record of 35,496 units sold throughout all of
2010.
