- Cadillac Converj Smart Extension of Volt
- Chrysler Makes Smart Call Staying Unplugged—For Now
- China Growth Shows GM Good Fortune
- Inflatable Seat Belts Aimed At Second Row Safety
- Do You Buy Marchionne's Turnaround Plan?
- October Shows Auto Rebound Will Be Slow
- How Mulally Got Ford Back in The Black
- Green Car Incentives Are Just Starting To Roll
- GM Touts Progress, Serves Up Details on Latest Refunds
- Why Ford Is Winning With Reliability
MOST SHARED
- Hewlett-Packard to Acquire 3Com for $2.7 Billion in Cash
- How the Droid and Google Threaten the GPS Makers
- Dollar Trouble, Oil's Bubble Could Derail Recovery
- CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs Says He is Leaving Network
- USC Football Blog Leads All-Access Space
- Rising Jobless Biggest Threat to World Trade: WTO
- HPQ to Acquire 3Com
- Shopping for Answers
- APEC Pledges to Back 'Market-Oriented' Currencies
- Highest State Foreclosure Rates
- What to Expect From Disney Earnings?
- HP's Shot Across Cisco's Bow
- USC Football Blog Leads All-Access Space
- Clowning Around At Work
- Ahead of Earnings Disney Restructures Studio
- Nov. 11: Unusual Volume Leaders
- 3 'Clear Sailing' Mid-Caps For Investors: Strategist
- Intimate Apparel Sales Heating Up: Maidenform CEO
- A Day On The USS Harry S. Truman
- Strong Dollar Plays Global Stability Role: Geithner
- Gold Hits $1,121, Barrick Chief Says Selloff Possible
- Wall Street Pay Is Often too High: Bill Gates
- Morgan Stanley Gets Aggressive in Luring Brokers
- Foreclosures Fall Again But Improvement Likely Fleeting
- Highest State Foreclosure Rates
- Jobless, Wal-Mart to Drive Sentiment on Thursday
- Yuan Critics Want Obama to Keep Campaign Promise
- Pricier Beer Helps AB InBev Operating Profit
RSS FEED
Behind The Wheel
![]() |
Source: chevrolet.com 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid |
In fact, a new survey by Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association says if gasoline prices hit $4 per gallon as many economists predict, an estimated 65 percent of American car owners say they will dramatically change their driving behavior.
When a friend of mine pointed this out to me, I was not surprised, but also somewhat skeptical. For 3 or 4 years now, there have been numerous surveys where people said, "yes, when gas hits $2.00, $2.50, $3.00 a gallon, I will look to buy a hybrid, or drive less, or switch from my SUV to a crossover utility vehicle." And yet, as we have hit these price points, the amount of change we've seen has been limited.
Are people driving less? Yes. Are people buying fewer pick-up trucks and large SUVs? Yes.
But as prices have moved up, there has yet to be that "shock wave" where truck sales fall off so dramatically that automakers scream in pain. I say it's because we have slowly adjusted to higher gas prices. As they have crept higher, we've incorporated the greater expense and yes, some people have moved into more fuel efficient vehicles.
But automakers still sold more than 2.7 million pick-ups last year, and the top selling vehicle, was, once again, the Ford [F
Loading...
()
] F-150. In other words, there will still be people, companies, truck lovers buying those big rigs.
Four dollar a gallon gas may be coming, but I'm not sure it's the "tipping point" many are suggesting it will be.
Questions? Comments?










