If you’ve purchased a new car in the U.S. over the past few years, the chances are you’ll be familiar with the gas mileage stickers that automakers are required by law to display in the window of each new car.
But visit a Chevrolet dealer this year, and you’ll see 2012 Chevrolet Sonics sporting not one, but two window stickers.
Alongside the recently-redesigned and legally-required EPA gas mileage sticker -- which displays official EPA gas-mileage figures and estimated fuel costs based on 15,000 miles of driving per year -- all 2012 Chevy Sonics will feature General Motors’ own green-themed informational sticker.
Located on the rear driver-side window of Sonics beginning this March, and due to appear on every Chevrolet vehicle from the 2013 model year onwards, Chevrolet's EcoLogic stickers detail each car’s green credentials before, during and after its life on the road.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic EcoLogic Label
“Customers want companies to be honest and transparent about their environmental efforts and sustainability goals, and rightly so,” said GM North America President Mark Reuss. “Putting an EcoLogic label on each Chevrolet is just one more way for us to share our environmental progress.”
By sharing the environmental aspects related to the entire life-cycle of its vehicles from manufacture to recycling, Chevrolet hopes to score extra green kudos from consumers.
But as Consumer Reports’ Eric Evarts points out, without being tied to an industry standard that rates an automaker's green practices against rival firms, the label isn’t as useful as it could be.
While it’s good to see automakers becoming more public about green issues beyond a car’s gas-mileage, consumers need to remember that the labels are not comprehensive.
In other words, GM’s new EcoLogic labels only display green-minded practices rather than the positive and negative ones.
Are the EcoLogic labels a good idea? Do you think they will help consumers make informed choices about their next car?
Let us know in the Comments below.
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