American automakers may be about to get burned by high fuel costs
I was talking to my neighbor yesterday and he told me he's getting ready to trade in his 9-mpg truck for a more economical car. He spends about $120 a week on gas as he commutes to work and he's had it. Turns out, he's not alone.
The Detroit Free Press had a story yesterday about a shift in consumer wants when it comes to fuel economy in their vehicles is leading to more people turning down trucks and SUVs in favor of fuel-efficient cars. The Free Press, always concerned with how the hometown companies will react to automotive trends, says this shift could hurt the Big Three and many autoworkers.
Consumer reports recently listed 23 vehicles it claims have good fuel economy. Detroit was responsible for just two of them, the Pontiac Vibe and the Ford Focus Wagon. The Freep even found a Detroit resident (pictured) whose grandfather worked for Henry Ford but was on the lot buying a Honda Civic because it had a good mileage rating and other top scores from Consumer Reports.
[Source: Detroit Free Press via Clean MPG]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Glenn A. 5:27PM (5/25/2006)
It's about time.
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Stphane Dumas 8:19PM (5/25/2006)
I begin to ponder if Toyota and Honda do some lobbies and influences to the oil companies to keep the prices high? I guess I should stop imagining conspiration theories lol. Strange it didn't mention then the Focus is also available in 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan and have the same drivetrains (And here in Quebec, Canada a Focus is less cheaper to insure then the Civic since the Civic is on the top 10 list of the most stolen vehicules here) Also, the Civic here is now mass marketing them like they're Ford Tauruses (lots of Civics ads broadcasted in our locals tv stations here).
They've lost some of their mystique and exclusivity in the process and the sympathic cute look and "fun side" of the 1980's-1990's and not too common and too popular like Pokemon. The Mazda 3 had retained the "fun side" of the Civic of yesterday.
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Jane Austen 8:48AM (5/26/2006)
Seeing as how GM makes the most 30-mpg cars, it's a wonder all these silly stories feature people buying Priuses and Hondas.
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Jim Gottlieb 2:27AM (5/29/2006)
And the Pontiac Vibe is really just a modified Toyota Matrix, built at the joint GM-Toyota factory.
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