Obama pays visit to German automotive plant

Washington (dpa) – It doesn’t happen every day that a US president visits a German automotive plant.

But on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama did just that, stopping at a Daimler plant near Charlotte, North Carolina, to talk about energy as US petrol prices rise.

“We’ve got to develop every source of American energy – not just oil and gas, but wind power and solar power, nuclear power, biofuels,” he said. “We need to invest in the technology that will help us use less oil in our cars and our trucks, in our buildings, in our factories.”

Obama chose the plant because it’s where Freightliner, a subsidiary of Daimler, produces trucks powered by hybrid as well as natural-gas engines.

Obama said stabilizing energy prices will require more development of renewable energy and better fuel efficiency standards, reiterating a common theme in his administration.

By Matt Rusling