A stunning realization

[Joe 1320]

I've been saying for quite some time that SUVs and trucks will reach a point where the consumer gets fed up with the entire gas guzzling scenerio....... well, it's coming to fruition.

it's also official. The Toyota Prius has eclipsed the best selling SUV in new sales. Americans bought more Toyota Prius hybrid gas-electric hatchbacks last year than Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, the top-selling SUV for more than a decade.

The change of fortune, buried in U.S. vehicle-sales data for 2007 and unthinkable a few years ago, will find an echo at this year's Detroit auto show, which starts Sunday.

While Americans' love for powerful gas guzzlers remains strong, a slowing economy and high gasoline prices are forcing buyers to lower their sights.



http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...dExplorer.aspx

As much as I love the internal combustion engine, petrolium based fuels are going by the way of the dinosaur, no pun intended. For me, i cannot wait until I can get behind the wheel of a vehicle that has moster torque via electic driven wheels so that when I hammer the throttle, it quietly rips up to speed. No exhaust stench, no hot exhaust pipes, just the sound of tires trying desperately to claw the ground and gain traction. Of course it will take some time for that to be common, but it does already exist...... the Tesla for one example.

[Black97]

While I would love a Tesla, I would miss the rumble. Would have to make a CD with some engine noise.

[Nightrage]

Get the best of both worlds and get the Escape hybrid. That thing gets phenomenal gas mileage. The ones at work pull close to 35 MPG

[TraceZ]

I am fairly sure that within my lifetime I will attend a major cruise event in which the common thread among all us enthusiasts will be that we all have a car that burns gasoline.

[azkkn]

why is 35mpg phenominal? back in the 60's regular economy cars were getting 40~45 or more MPG, in the 70's and 80's the diesel rabbits and chevettes were gerring 50+, now in teh high gas price days 25 is awesome and 40 is unheard of, yet weve gone backwards in the economy of these cars, kinda weird with all the years of research and development we do these days

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I was having a conversation with my sister who has a sport cute, she said something like I bet you get pretty sucky gas mileage in your Vette. I said I get about 19 in the city and 29 on the highway. Combination is around 22-23mpg. She said wow She gets about the same mileage on the highway that I get in the city. And I said yea and you have less than half the horsepower too. Everybody is pretty amazed at the mileage the LS1 gets. I said yea the 6 speed gets a couple of MPGs more than the automatic. Don't you love when you can get your cake and eat it too.

Until the electric world makes an affordable sports car like the Tesla for a reasonable amount, I won't consider one. I have to pull out on a road when leaving work that is heavily traveled and has a speed limit of 55. If I don't have some horsepower, I don't get out. The current hybrids just won't cut it.

[Rhode Island Red]

Still won't change the underlying purpose behind the SUV sales. Families need the space! Before the SUV it was the Minivan, and before that, it was the Station Wagon.

I think what you are seeing in the stats, is the commuter cars. Then again states like CA based on the Eisenhower Freeway System, driving distances are a must....

Thing that defies belief to me is that people will pay $7000+ extra for a hybrid over a common car, just for the fact they think they will start saving money compared to regular ICE's (Internal Combustion Engines) right at the pump, while ignoring the fact the extra $ they had to dish out initially.

For the prices of hybrids, it will take 12 years of saving $ at the pump using hybrids to cover the cost of them. AND THIS IS ECONOMIC FACT (not including the $$$$ batteries will have to be replaced during this time as well)

I bet you'll start seeing an exodus to hybrids, once their technology cost is down to what a normal car costs, once companies get over the idea of charging extra for the new technology (VCR tapes cost more $ to make than a DVD and they charge more for DVD's...)

Just hope that your right in the long run Joe, for now I chalk it up to people who have $ to fling around...

[FroSSty]

I dunno, a huge corporation is getting your money either way whether it be Toyota, Ford or part of OPEC.....I guess I'd rather pay the car companies rather than the theiving opecs.....

[Joe 1320]

Something that I think is relevant. Thanks to the current government policies, tax benefits were put in place that allowed small business owners to write off the entire cost of the SUV or pickup provided the cost was in excess of $30K and above a certain GVW. Literally there are millions of SUV and truck owners out there that really don't need them but made the purchase choice based on the ability to write off the whole expense.

That's a real smart governemt stradegy. Give huge tax benefits to those who purchase the least fuel effecient beasts of the available products. no wonder we're going though oil at such fantastic rates.

[Wild Willy]

I think part of the SUV pheonomenon is because some people need space to haul 4 kids and the dog, or a hockey team with gear bags- You used to be able to buy a 6-passenger full-sized car with a large trunk to do so- not many options like that now- you either end up with a minivan or a suburban-type truck.

Another problem with them is that they make the drivers feel invulnerable- big, hulking vehicles that can drove over or through almost anything- so some of the drivers act like idiots, intimidating other drivers, tailgating, etc. Just because you can drive 70 MPH in snow doesn't mean that it is a good idea to, and it takes even longer to turn or stop all that bulk.

I am not faulting drivers that actually need a truck to haul their stuff, or pull a large trailer. I don't understand why every other housewife in suburbia 'needs' a huge, gas-guzzling tank to go to the mall and pick up 5 bag of groceries....

[markd79ta]

I made fun of people who drove SUVs prior to having a family with three kids and living at 9,000 ft. My family needs two 4x4s...one of which must carry all of us and our stuff. The Liberty CRD does great on gas 22mpg in the city and up to 30 highway...the Yukon drinks it like I drink water. However, the Liberty doesn't have enough room for all of us. It would certainly help if there were more diesel options in the SUV market until the technology gives us "useable and affordable" alternatives. It is doubtful that we will ever have a reasonable compromise with all the bunny-huggers out there.

I hope the the Chevy Volt becomes reality. I really hope this technology can be placed in 4x4s eventually. Until they make some fuel efficient alternative to the big SUV, some of us are stuck driving them. Now, the soccer moms...that is a whole 'nother story???