2.17.2004 ET

(CSRwire) VANCOVER, BC - GLOBE 2004 will feature the world’s most advanced vehicles, as top auto manufacturers General Motors, Ford and Toyota announce their participation in North America’s premier conference on the business of the environment. The GLOBE 2004 Transportation Technologies Showcase will feature Canada’s first real-world demonstration of fuel cell vehicles, the Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Project. This marks the largest GLOBE exhibit on transportation technologies ever, and with the participation of Toyota and GM shows the automobile industry is embracing the business of the environment as a major growth area of the future. Recent advances toward more efficient, environmentally sound transportation fuels, as well as improvements in transportation design, components and materials, have all created an industry that is expected to be worth billions over the coming decade.

Toyota will exhibit their extremely popular award winning Prius Hybrid. The 2004 model was recently named the 2004 EnerGuide most fuel-efficient mid-sized vehicle. Toyota is also the Canadian Automobile Association’s prestigious Pyramid Award winner for environmental initiatives as the Canadian automotive company making the most significant contribution to improving the environment. “Toyota Canada is honoured to participate in the Globe 2004 Transportation Technologies Showcase,” said Toyota Canada President and CEO Kenji Tomikawa. “The Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) found in the Prius is modular and scaleable and will soon be deployed across a wide range of Toyota vehicles. This technology sets the foundation for future vehicles with the potential for “zero” emissions and increased use of renewable resources.”

General Motors, long known for producing some of the largest vehicles on the road, such as their extremely popular pick-up truck line, promises an exhibit that will demonstrate their hybrid strategy of targeting vehicles with the highest fuel consumption. "GM is moving fast to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions from internal combustion engines. We have also announced a portfolio of hybrid vehicles -- including mass transit buses and pickups that are available today -- that will transition us on the road to hydrogen, which ultimately removes the automobile from the environmental debate,” said David Paterson, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for General Motors of Canada.

The Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Project is considered a critical next step in the evolution of fuel-cell technology for automobiles and the development of a hydrogen economy. It is a three-year initiative to test five Ford Focus fuel-cell vehicles in the Vancouver area to determine how they operate in "real-world" conditions. This project is sponsored by the Government of Canada, the Ford Motor Company and Fuel Cells Canada.

"Having Toyota, GM and Ford on our trade fair floor shows the commitment of the automobile industry to the environment, and to building what will be their single largest growth sector. This sector will be worth billions, and with GLOBE being at the forefront of building the business of the environment there really is no better place for these companies to be," said GLOBE Foundation President and CEO John Wiebe. "Their inclusion in the GLOBE trade fair will be of major interest to our delegates and trade fair visitors.”

GLOBE 2004 will be held from March 31 to April 2, 2004 at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. GLOBE is the world’s largest environmental business summit, held biennially in Vancouver, Canada. GLOBE 2004 is the eighth in the GLOBE series, and represents the largest gathering of corporate leaders, policy makers and scientists in the “business of the environment.”

For further information on GLOBE, visit www.globe2004.com.

For more information please contact: