According to a Reuters report, First lady Laura Bush commandeered her Gemcar to pick up Canadian counterpart Sheila Martin for lunch. Another report stated German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, living up to his role as Autobahn overseer, was said to be going so quickly in his electric car that he nearly overshot the mark at his arrival on Wednesday for a summit session.
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| Maybe if U.S. President George Bush caught sight of the Kustom Haus all-terrain DaimlerChrysler Gemcar that was on display at the New York auto show earlier this year he would switch from his personal pickup truck to the more economical conveyance. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Two battery-powered DaimlerChrysler Gemcars have been allocated to each delegation, painted in national colors no less. This made it easy for a press corps to figure out who was meeting who, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's car sitting outside the resort's Dunbar House next to George Bush's red, white and blue cart it was obvious something major was going on inside. Ironically Bush keeps a pickup at his Texas ranch.
Maybe if he caught sight of the Kustom Haus all-terrain Gemcar that was on display at the New York auto show earlier this year he would switch to the more economical conveyance.
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| This zero emission GEM e4 has been painted in yellow to transport representatives from Germany during the 2004 G8 Summit. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, living up to his role as Autobahn overseer, was said to be going so quickly in his electric car that he nearly overshot the mark at his arrival on Wednesday for a summit session. (Photo: GEM, Stephen Morton) |
Nevertheless, Austin Powers and the folks at BMW's MINI brand would be proud of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Gemcar, which showed-off the Union Jack on both sides.
While DaimlerChrysler is the first to admit its open-air GEM may not be suitable for all of the world's climates in base trim, a soft fabric top with cloth doors or a hard plastic top with doors make it all-weather friendly. It also wouldn't make the optimal weekend getaway car due to its 40 km/h (25 mph) top speed and limited storage, eL pickup version aside, but it's ideal for zipping off to grab groceries in warmer climes such as Florida or California. The world's airports are now making use of the new electric cars for runway services as well, while the cars are perfect for transporting employees within large buildings such as warehouses where exhaust fumes would be unhealthy.