The Chrysler Group announced today that it would be offering a HEMI-Hybrid engine on the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango next year. The fuel economy savings from this new technology will be 25 percent to 40 percent, depending on driving situations.

Kudos to Chrysler for bringing this exciting, trendsetting technology to the market place. This new hybrid technology was developed in conjunction with GM and BMW at the DCX, GM, BMW Hybrid Development Center in Troy, Michigan. In addition to hybrids, DaimlerChrysler and the Chrysler Group are leaders in bringing clean diesel and fuel-saving biodiesel technology to the American market.

I recently had the good fortune of visiting the Troy hybrid center to hear first hand from engineers about their exciting work and commitment to putting more fuel-efficient vehicles on our roads. Click here to see some photos of my visit.

The Detroit Free Press ran a big story on the frontpage of its business section yesterday that showed the vast differences in the domestic content of vehicles from GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota. The American car companies all had domestic content percentages in excess of 7o percent. Toyota came in below 50 percent because nearly half of the vehicles it sells in our country are imported (this is roughly the same percentage of imports Toyota had in the 80s before it began “investing in America”).

Toyota is working overtime and spending lavishly on political ads to convince the American people and American policymakers that there is no economic difference between buying a Big 3 vehicle and a Toyota vehicle.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Toyota employs 34,000 people in America. The Big 3 employ nearly 400,000 people in America.  The Big 3 build 7 out of every 10 cars made in our country. The Big 3 purchase almost 80 percent of all U.S. auto parts.  The Big 3 impact more than 7 million jobs in America. Toyota and all of the other foreign companies combined impact less than 2 million jobs.

The vast difference in the economic footprints of the domestic car companies and Toyota points up the importance of the yen issue. Because Japan manipulates its currency, Toyota and the other Japanese automakers have a big competitive advantage over the domestic industry. Toyota derives a $4,000 to $10,000 per car edge over the Big Three because of yen subsidies on its imported vehicles and parts.

If you haven’t voted in my online poll on yen subsidies and Toyota’s unfair advantage, do so now by clicking here.

P.S. - Last week, Toyota sent some company officials to meet with my staff in DC. After the Toyota officials learned of my concerns with the yen subsidy, the participation in my online poll skyrocketed from 250 participants and a 96 percent YES vote on doing something about the unfair yen subsidy to more than 1,700 participants with a 70 percent do nothing on the yen vote. Coincidence? You decide.

The Pistons now have a 3-0 series lead over the Magic in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. If the Pistons win on Saturday, it will be the first time they have swept a playoff series since 1990.

Go Pistons!

The Democrat Congress sent President Bush a bill to fund our troops knowing full well he will veto it because it sets a wave the white flag, defeat certain timeline for withdrawal. It is absolutely absurd that the Democrats would use our troops as leverage in their political argument with the President. While Democrats are playing political games, our troops are literally running out of money to do their job! After the President vetoes the bill, Democrats will have approximately a month to fix their mistake before the money runs dry. Let’s hope they will put politics aside and work with Republicans to ensure money for the troops doesn’t run out. 

Today marks the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I, along with my Armenia Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), held a commemoration event with over 250 people. Former Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, was the keynote speaker for the evening. He gave a wonderful speech highlighting the importance of recognizing the genocide so that we may learn from the past to prevent future atrocities.

Hollywood loves to shine its celebrity spotlight on the yen manipulated, $4,000 per car subsidized Toyota Prius. But in reality, a clean diesel engine can best the Prius on highway gas mileage. In 2004, USA Today did a test drive challenge between a VW Jetta diesel and the Prius. The Jetta made it from Detroit to DC on a single tank of gas. The Prius came up short on the return trip to DC.

Clean diesel engines are up to 40 percent more fuel-efficient than traditional engines. This technology offers great promise for the American market. It’s perfect for trucks and SUVs, the portion of the market where fuel economy gains would make the most difference.

The Detroit News wrote a great editorial on the contributions clean diesel can make to cutting our consumption of Middle East oil. It’s a great read.

The House of Representatives voted today to allow the state of Michigan to regulate the flow of Canadian trash into our state. As an original co-sponsor of this bill, I am pleased by this outcome and hope for speedy action in the Senate.

Following is the statement that I submitted into the Congressional Record on this bill:

Madam Speaker:

Today, I rise to express my strong support for passage of H.R. 518, the International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2007. Like every member of the Michigan Congressional Delegation, I am a cosponsor of this bill. For many years, Canada has shipped significant amounts of solid waste into the United States, with a large percentage of it going to Michigan. It is estimated that more than four hundred trucks bring this waste into Michigan from Ontario each day. That means nearly 150,000 truckloads full of Canadian solid waste is deposited in the great state of Michigan each year.

One of Michigan’s greatest assets is the acres upon acres of beautiful land in its natural state. Michiganians are defined in part by our Great Lakes, and the health of our environment is one of our top priorities. It is imperative that we preserve  our state’s natural beauty from the wilderness on Isle Royale and the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula all the way down to the lakes and streams in the bottom of our beloved mitten.

By allowing such an immense amount of Canadian trash into our landfills, we are falling short of our responsibilities as stewards of our state’s health. Canadian trash represents a threat to the health of our environment and the health of our citizens. States must have the authority to address this matter as they see fit. H.R. 518 is necessary in order to provide Michigan with the power to address this issue, as the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts have consistently ruled that states cannot restrict out-of-state trash without action by Congress.

Passage of H.R. 518 will finally allow states to regulate the importation of international waste in ways that best suit the needs of their citizens. I thank Mr. Dingell for introducing this important legislation.

I recently had the good fortune of visiting the GM, DCX, and BMW Hybrid Tech Center in Troy, Michigan. This center houses an historic effort to develop the next generation of hybrid technology. The work being done at the center will help America reduce our consumption of oil and lower our emissions of C02. It’s a state of the art facility and a world class effort being put forth by GM, DCX and BMW.

Click here to view photos of my listen and learn session at the hybrid center. 

The Detroit Free Press had a great lead editorial in yesterday’s paper about the Great Lakes and how they make Michigan special  and unique. There are several bills pending in Congress that deal with the Great Lakes. We need to protect these natural treasures. They are uniquely Michigan, and we are fortunate to have them surrounding our great state.

The CEO of Toyota was in the Motor City this week for the SAE World Congress at Cobo Hall.  Mr. Katsuaki Watanabe was disappointed that he didn’t get to take in a Tiger game while in town. He was gifted a Tiger cap. Click here for the news item in the Detroit News today.

Maybe we can get the Toyota CEO some box seats during the 2007 World Series, with one condition … Mr. Watanabe needs to convince Japan to stop manipulating its currency so his imported Priuses and Lexuses don’t come into the American market with a $4,000 to $10,000 cost edge over the Big Three’s vehicles.

We live in a global market.  Competition and trade are good for our economy and American consumers. But manipulating currency to gain a competitive advantage is something different. It’s like cheating in golf. It just ain’t right.

Don’t forget to vote in my online survey on the homepage of my Web site on the issue of Japan’s currency manipulation. Click here to go to the poll.