Venezuela Carmakers Miss Natural Gas Deadline, Nacional Says
By Steven Bodzin, Jan. 1, 2008
Source: Bloomberg.com/Latin America
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aKLIXJbvNvu0&refer=latin_america
Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and other carmakers with assembly plants in Venezuela haven’t started making vehicles with tanks for natural gas, missing today’s government deadline, El Nacional reported. The country’s energy ministry hasn’t provided information on how to get kits to let cars burn natural gas, the newspaper said, citing an industry spokesman it didn’t identify.
Vehicles that don’t include such equipment can’t legally be sold in Venezuela starting today, El Nacional said. Carmakers expect to sell fewer vehicles this year in part because of the new requirement, the Caracas newspaper said. Reduced sales of locally assembled automobiles, along with new import restrictions going into effect today, may lengthen the wait to buy a new car, already as much as a year, the newspaper said.