Chicago 2009: Hyundai CEO says Green is Good, Greed is Bad

Posted by in Auto Green on 02 12th, 2009 | no responses

Hyundai Motor America CEO and President John Krafcik gave the keynote speech at the Midwest Automotive Media Association’s kickoff breakfast yesterday morning at the Chicago Auto Show . He called his talk “Preparing for a Revolution,” and made a few admissions worth noting. Krafcik declared the “greed is good” era no longer welcome. The excesses that defined the time between the ’80s and 2008ish, “may finally be at a close. The current global economic crisis has paved the way for significant change,” he said. Then there was this: For the most part, our industry has a history of opposing environmental and safety legislation – sometimes with the force of science and good sense behind us, such as the early California EV mandate, but other times with a much weaker platform of defense. Many Americans believe that our fighting these issues is done strictly for own best interests, which run contrary to those of our country’s, and our society’s. As a result, we are painted with a broad brush as bad guys who care little about our own customers and the world we live in. Krafcik believes that the auto industry has earned its “horrible” reputation but they can still turn things around. How will this happen? By owning up to past mistakes and making great, safe vehicles and being more disciplined financially. The other potential savior? Fuel efficiency. Here’s the pertinent quote: Another revolutionary step we can take is to embrace improved fuel economy as an indisputable social good. There’s really no point in arguing about the veracity of climate change when you stop to consider the finite supply of oil, and the turmoil that our present consumption habit is fueling in the Middle East. It’s abundantly clear that improved fuel economy makes sense for our industry and for our country. As an industry, we need to take a longer term view of our environmental strategies. That means stepping up and getting ahead of the regulators where that makes sense. We think that time is now. You can Car Blog Greenthe prepared text of Krafcik’s speech after the jump. [Source: Hyundai] Continue reading Chicago 2009: Hyundai CEO says Green is Good, Greed is Bad Auto Blog: Etc. , Hyundai , Chicago Auto Show Chicago 2009: Hyundai CEO says Green is Good, Greed is Bad originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green