Nation's First Retail-Driven Program to Promote Energy Efficiency
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AutoNation,
Inc. (NYSE: AN), America's largest automotive retailer, has announced that
on April 10, 2007, the company will launch its E-Vehicle program. The
program is designed to promote greater consumer awareness of fuel-efficient
vehicles by identifying those cars and trucks available online and in-store
that have exceptional energy efficiency. To qualify, vehicles must produce
at least 28 miles-per-gallon or deliver 10% better fuel efficiency than the
average for their vehicle class. AutoNation has partnered with Edmunds.com
to identify qualifying vehicles and ensure that the fullest range of
vehicles is represented.
"We want to increase consumer awareness of the number of fuel efficient
vehicles we offer," said Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO of AutoNation. "Our
E-Vehicle program lets them know in as direct a way as possible which
vehicles satisfy specific efficiency standards. We hope that this increased
exposure will help consumers become more aware of vehicles that contribute
to making us less dependent on foreign oil, which is an issue of national
security."
Under the program, every car and truck for sale at an AutoNation
dealership or listed on AutoNation.com that meets the E-Vehicle standards
will be marked with a green, leaf-shaped E-Vehicle logo, and there will be
an accompanying checklist displaying the particular efficiency criteria
that it satisfies.
"In today's time-pressed world, car-shoppers will appreciate that
AutoNation is making it easy to see which vehicles achieve the best fuel
economy," commented Edmunds.com president Jeremy Anwyl. "This program is
likely to generate a great deal of interest, especially as gas prices
continue their seasonal climb."
In addition to these green-labeled E-Vehicles, AutoNation will also be
identifying what it calls "F-Vehicles" with a yellow leaf logo. These are
cars and trucks that make use of flex fuel or ethanol-based technology.
AutoNation believes that promoting the greater consumption of renewable and
alternative energy sources will motivate energy companies to more
aggressively pursue the production and distribution of non-fossil-based
fuels, a critical component of a more responsible energy policy.
This is not AutoNation's first effort to promote more responsible
energy consumption. In August of 2006, AutoNation became the first
automotive retailer to join with Plug-In-Hybrids Partners to promote fuel
efficiency and advance technologies.
AutoNation offer E-Vehicles in all classes and across all price ranges.
Among the most in-demand models are the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic
Hybrid, the midsize Chevy Malibu and the Mercedes-Benz Diesel. Best in
class E- Vehicles include the Toyota Tacoma pick-up, the Ford Escape Hybrid
SUV and the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan. For a complete listing of
E-Vehicles available, customers are encouraged to visit AutoNation.com,
which currently displays over 80,000 vehicles online in an effort to appeal
to the 70% of customers who use the Internet as part of the purchase
process.
AutoNation was recently named by FORTUNE magazine as America's most
admired automotive retailer in a poll of industry insiders, executives and
analysts -- the fifth time in six years that the company has been so
honored. AutoNation is also ranked #115 on FORTUNE magazine's list of
America's 500 largest corporations and is the only retailer to hold a
position in the S&P 500 index. More information is available online at
http://www.autonation.com.
ABOUT AUTONATION, INC.
AutoNation, Inc., headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is America's
largest automotive retailer and a component of the Standard and Poor's 500
Index. AutoNation has approximately 26,000 full-time employees and owns and
operates 327 new vehicle franchises in 16 states. For additional
information, please visit http://corp.AutoNation.com or
http://www.AutoNation.com, where more than 80,000 vehicles are available
for sale.
SOURCE AutoNation, Inc.
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Related links:
http://corp.autonation.com
http://www.autonation.com
Photo Notes:http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001017/AUTONATIONLOGO
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/750525.html /
CONTACT:
Marc Cannon of AutoNation, Inc.,
+1-954-769-3146, or cannonm@autonation.com
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