Gas Prices (Finally) Affecting Car Sales?
A Mainichi Daily Times story announced today sales of energy-efficient Japanese cars soar in U.S. Toyota and Nissan both saw 12% sales growth, with Toyota’s Prius sales jumping to 260% their numbers from a year ago. Honda, which usually wears the energy efficiency leader’s hat, saw a nearly 7% increase in sales.
Ever prideful, MDN notes:
In sharp contrast, the sales of new cars sold by General Motors and other American automakers in March posted decreases from a year earlier.
The story goes on to make the conclusion that many have been hesitant about:
It shows that energy-efficient Japanese cars have become increasingly popular with U.S. consumers due to the sharp rise in oil prices.
In High and Highty, Keith Bradsher quotes that gas prices would have to climb to around $3 a gallon to have the same effect on car purchasing patterns as the 1970s oil crisis did. Though recent predictions that oil could go over $100 a barrel may suggest gas prices could go over $4 a gallon. Whatever goes on, it seems clear we won’t be seeing gas get back to its late 90s 98 cents a gallon price…ever.
Suggestion: This probably isn’t the time to go buy a CXT, or a Tatra T813 or a Ford Excursion (despite that they can apparently carry a huge payload).
[update:] This story about the “Hubbert peak” does a fair job of explaining why gas prices can’t go down.
10 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
Nice Blog. Thank You.
I think the gas prices are
(legal) robbery.
Check out my site.
http://terrysdailytales.blogspot.corn/
Terry Finley
commentary.fin@gmail.corn
Why the hell are we still driving with these gas prices I turned to riding my bike everywhere like Japanese people do everyday.
so there.
[...] Earnings reports from car makers seemed to suggest SUV sales were down last spring, and with gas prices near $3 per gallon in some parts of the country still, nobody should be surprised that Yahoo! is saying interest in SUVs is down — way down — now: If the Buzz is any indication, then yes. Searches on “hybrids” outrank “SUVs” by a tremendous margin, and it’s the same story with individual models. By far the most popular hybrid is the Prius (not to be confused with “pious,” which is how many owners feel, and can lead to blathering about saving the planet). Interest in Toyota’s gas-miser is more than double that of Search’s most popular SUV, the Hummer H3. Also, the Prius garners nearly 10 times the searches as Toyota’s SUV, the 4Runner. Indeed, it appears the bell is tolling for the 15 mpg club. [...]
[...] I’m a fan of the Smart, the fuel efficient European roadster that’s smaller than a Mini (see above). It’s coming to America, but indirectly and not without some complexity. Oddly, considering the current energy crisis and that buyers appear to be looking for more efficient vehicles now, there’s a lot of red tape involved with bringing efficient vehicles new or old to the US. [...]
[...] People looking for oversized pickups, ridiculously large Russian Army trucks, even jet powered speedsters have it easy. But what about people who have some understanding of the Hubbert peak and don’t want SUVs? 50+ MPG cars have been available in Japan for 30 years now, and can be bought used in Canada for under$5000. But US law forbids importing them to the US! Heck, the Smart, the super-efficient line from DaimlerChrysler, has been available in Europe (and now Canada) for about ten years now, but it too can only be imported with a lot of restrictions. Don’t talk to me about Priuses, either. They’re selling on ebay for almost $30,000. [...]
where the fuck are the damn graphs asshole
I traded in my Ford Fairmont V8 for a 1.5 litre Honda Civic.
I more than halved more gas bill.
actually,how does increasing price of oils affected sales of car????huh…
you suck at putting up graphs
yo mama