LANSING -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama put the energy debate into high gear Monday with a forceful pitch to wean the United States from foreign oil and help auto companies produce fuel-efficient vehicles, while he labeled Republican opponent John McCain a cozy friend of oil company profits.
With Michigan emerging as a true battleground state -- and McCain gaining support with his call for more offshore drilling -- Obama pledged direct financial support for Michigan's bedrock auto industry and urged changes in the way the country creates and consumes energy.
He called for $4 billion in guaranteed loans and tax credits to help U.S. automakers retool for more fuel-efficient cars and to develop batteries for plug-in hybrids that get up to 150 m.p.g. The new breed of automobiles would fetch a $7,000 federal tax credit for buyers.
He predicted that 1 million plug-in hybrids -- such as the Chevrolet Volt set to debut in 2010 -- would be produced within six years. In March, Morgan Stanley estimated that U.S. plug-in hybrid sales would not top 1 million annually before 2020.
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