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The Society of
Motor Manufacturers and
Traders and
Climate Change
Below are
extracts of letters between the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and
Traders and
Peter Shullot about climate change. The letters in full are at the bottom of the
page. This is one of 65 sets of letters so you can find out what your
supermarket, energy supplier and car manufacturer, and oil companies, airlines,
house builders and other companies really think about climate change. The name
Peter Shullot is made up – it is an anagram of The Polluters.
To
Christopher
Macgowan, Chief Executive –
I read recently on the
BBC website what you had to say about the EU calling for lower emission cars,
and thought to myself, here’s a man who calls a spade a spade. You said that the
problem with lower emission cars was “that motorists do not buy them”, and that
there would be less choice for the motorist and higher prices on the dealer
forecourt.
Your words got me
checking your website. The aims of your organisation sound sensible. Say no to
tax, promote the motorist and crack down hard on the greens.
Your website says that
cutting CO2 emissions is everybody’s
role and not just the car industry, would mean job losses, bad for the economy,
less choice and higher prices. At last, common sense!
Christopher Macgowan replied –
I am often criticised for being anti the environment which in fact I am not but
some home truths have to be constantly repeated. A few of them are:
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Cars are getting cleaner and cleaner
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The motor industry is doing and continues to do more than most in
improving things
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Government has a big role to play and a responsible role to play. It is
no good just trying to crowbar people out of their cars onto inadequate public
transport
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Buying a car – as with any purchase – needs the consumer to really want
to buy that particular car. We have to be careful not to get too carried away
with our environmental design features that no consumer would be seen dead
driving such a strange looking vehicle
Here at
the SMMT we try to stick to facts and apply common sense in large doses!!
Yours sincerely
Christopher Macgowan
Letter to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
Reply from The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
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