The battle to surpass themselves when it comes to environmentalism is well underway for automakers

Last week, GM announced that it was jumping on Trump and the Trump administration’s emissions regulation policy, which GM had supported until the minute it became clear that Joe Biden would be the next president of the United States. GM urged other automakers to follow suit; shortly after Ford insisted on the same.

Reuters have the scoop, which comes in the form of a letter sent last week by Ford Americas President Kumar Galhotra. The letter, sent to other automakers but seen by Reuters today, was sent days after GM made its dramatic announcement.

In a previously unreported letter, Ford Americas President Kumar Galhotra said on Wednesday that with Biden’s victory, the fight against Trump’s efforts to get California ahead of vehicle emissions “is now, at less for the next few years, essentially not applicable. The most relevant question is therefore the question of standards. “

Galhotra urged automakers “to actively consider adopting the California framework.”

He added, “The Biden Administration will not let the Trump standards in effect, and whether through litigation and / or a regulatory restart, the new team will move in a different, stricter direction.”

It is probably no accident that the letter finally found its way to a Reuters reporter, since Ford has every incentive in the world to market itself as an eco-friendly automaker, as it does. did in advertisement earlier this year, specifically humiliating automakers like GM, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota for not siding with California in the emissions dispute.

And while it was admirable for Ford to make a deal with California ahead of the election – with BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and Honda – now that Biden has been elected, the math has changed a bit, since the deal these companies have made. Lowered emissions standards with California than the Obama-era emission standards the Trump administration is trying to defeat. It appears, however, that the Biden administration will seek not only to reinstate the Obama-era rules, but also to strengthen them, meaning that the choice to go through the deal with California would be obvious to automakers. they could. lock it down for the long haul, perhaps by merging around it and convincing the Biden administration that they’ve solved this whole problem with regulating auto emissions.

And while automakers may try to sell this as their own effort to go green, it’s not really, as we know it’s probably not enough and companies complying with government regulations are not successful. . It is literally the least that automakers can do.