Feedback (March 01, 2003)

Dear Jim,

I read your January editorial with interest, and while we do not disagree with your comments about time being a critical factor, AIA believes that the Kyoto Accord may actually be an opportunity for the aftermarket industry to convince motorists to maintain their vehicle.

On behalf of everyone who works in the automotive aftermarket, AIA will be putting together a plan, in cooperation with various governments, to encourages consumers to practice environmental best practices by encouraging them to properly maintain their vehicle through preventative vehicle maintenance. This will be accomplished through AIA’s Car Care program.

As you know, practicing preventative vehicle not only protects the environment, it saves motorists money. By the same token, increasing maintenance activities could be worth millions to the aftermarket industry, with a large portion of that going to automotive service outlets. If AIA’s Car Care program can change, even minimally, the maintenance practices of consumers, we think the Kyoto Accord may be quite positive.

For more information, I invite installers to visit the Car Care pages on the AIA website (www.aiacanada.com) in the coming months.

Ray Datt

AIA President

Automotive Industries Association of Canada

1272 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 3A7

www.aiacanada.com

The Editor replies:

Ray’s point is well taken, but we know that no matter how well we maintain the nation’s vehicle fleet, the one pollutant we can’t control with today’s technology is CO2. In fact, catalytic converters act to add more CO2 by converting CO, the more immediate danger, into the greenhouse gas. As long as we drive gasoline and diesel-powered cars and trucks, the only current way to reduce CO2 is to consume less fuel. And economists on the political Right and Left agree that higher fuel prices are the most immediate way to force lower consumption. That’s an unfair burden on most Canadians. We can all profit from cleaner air, as long as pollution control doesn’t lead to higher fuel and vehicle prices as well as no-drive zones in major cities. We have to keep driving to keep our industry healthy, and besides, Canadians prefer personal vehicles to public transportation.