When it comes to cars, we all know the slogans. How could we not? After all, companies spend millions each year reminding us that Toyota wants us to “go places.” Or that Chevy “runs deep.” And love? Why, that’s “what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

After last week, though, those automakers may want to try out a new slogan: selling out your future.

It’s not as catchy, perhaps, but after throwing their support behind the Trump administration’s efforts to rollback emissions standards, it’s become depressingly descriptive.

And it’s not just Toyota, GM and Subaru. Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Isuzu, Maserati and Ferrari are all siding with the federal government in its legal fight against California over the state setting its own fuel economy standards — allowed via legal waiver through the Clean Air Act of 1970.

California said it would go its own way after President Donald Trump announced the federal government would weaken emissions standards set by the Obama administration. Under those rules, automakers must build vehicles with an average fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon under real-world conditions by 2025. The current standard is 26 mpg.

Improved fuel economy leads to less emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the top greenhouse gasses that contribute to the warming of the planet — and increased rainfall during storms such as Harvey. The stricter standards would eliminate about 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution over the lifetime of those vehicles.

The damage caused by vehicle emissions can’t be overstated, said Therese Langer, transportation program director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, as the transportation sector has overtaken electricity generation as the No. 1 greenhouse gas producer in the United States.

Alarmingly, even those more stringent standards were only an initial step in putting the U.S. on the path to an 80 percent reduction in total greenhouse emissions by 2050. That was a goal set under the Paris climate accord, another victim of Trump’s disregard for the threat of climate change.

Even if you don’t look at this through an environmental lens, vehicle owners benefit from stricter standards. While a vehicle with advanced technology may be more expensive up front, the long-term cost is lower, Langer said.

“Even with gas prices where they are today, the money the consumer stands to save through the improvements we’re seeing over the period out to model 2025 is really quite substantial,” she said.

The owner of an average 2026 model year vehicle will pay $3,300 more for gas during the life of the vehicle under the lower fuel standards, according to a recent study.

Companies that support the administration argue that there should be a single national standard and that California’s actions are hurting the industry through uncertainty. But 22 other states support the stricter standards.

They must know how important it is to produce cars that consumers can purchase and still lower their carbon footprint. The growing markets for hybrids and electric vehicles should make that perfectly clear. Of course it makes better sense to have one national standard — that’s what we had before the Trump administration monkeyed with the standards set by Obama’s team.

Of course, there is real risk with going against the administration on this. Earlier this year, Ford, Volkswagen, Honda and BMW agreed to voluntarily comply with California’s standards, putting them in the crosshairs of a president that has not shied away from using the bully pulpit to threaten and intimidate. In September, the Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation against the four automakers, a move seen by many as retaliatory and which prompted a probe by the House Judiciary Committee.

We commend and support these companies for their resolve, much as we condemn the others for caving to political pressure and short-sighted gain.

Houston has more than a million cars on our roads, as well as increasingly powerful storms fueled by a changing climate. If some car companies aren’t willing to stand up for what is right, Houstonians should remember who has their best interest in mind the next time they go car shopping.