johnnymk
10-18-2006, 08:30 AM
I wonder if this will be a trend?
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=161600&srvc=home
Seems like it was just a few months ago that Americans were looking to buy fuel efficient cars.
It was.
What a difference a drop in the price of gas can make.
As gas prices have tumbled in recent weeks, consumer interest in gas-guzzling SUVs is making a comeback. And interest in hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles appears to be dropping.
“Sales have definitely turned the corner,” said David Melkonian, sales manager at Sudbury’s Land Rover Metrowest, where sales were off by about 25 percent when gas prices were hovering in the $3 range this past summer.
Now that gas is going for about $2.26 a gallon, Melkonian said, customers are coming back.
Cars.com reported yesterday that online shoppers last month were more interested in bigger new cars - such as Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Wrangler and the Cadillac CTS, based on Web searches.
As for used cars, even the Hummer H2 and Hummer H3 - the road hog of all road hogs - have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people entering searches for those models, Cars.com said.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s fuel-efficient Yaris and hybrid electric car Prius have seen declines in online searches, Cars.com said.
“The recent drop in gasoline prices shows once again that consumers have a short memory when it comes to the effect gas prices have on their shopping behavior,” said Patrick Olsen, editor of Cars.com, in a statement.
Not everyone is seeing a shift in sales behavior.
Tom O’Brien, owner of Tom O’Brien Hyundai in Quincy and Danvers, said that just yesterday - on a normally busy Columbus Day - two customers traded in a beefy Lincoln Navigator for a four-cylinder Sonata and a Ford Explorer for a smaller Tuscon SUV.
“I’m betting they’ll keep chasing smaller cars,” said O’Brien.
Craig Carlson, an auto consultant at Strategic Innovation, agreed. “I think the days of (dominant SUV) sales are over,” he said.
Mike Hills, general manager at Acton Toyota, said he’s seeing a little bit of both trends.
Larger vehicles - such as Toyota’s 8-passenger Seqouia SUV - are selling well now that gas prices are falling. But the interest in fuel-efficient cars remains quite strong
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=161600&srvc=home
Seems like it was just a few months ago that Americans were looking to buy fuel efficient cars.
It was.
What a difference a drop in the price of gas can make.
As gas prices have tumbled in recent weeks, consumer interest in gas-guzzling SUVs is making a comeback. And interest in hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles appears to be dropping.
“Sales have definitely turned the corner,” said David Melkonian, sales manager at Sudbury’s Land Rover Metrowest, where sales were off by about 25 percent when gas prices were hovering in the $3 range this past summer.
Now that gas is going for about $2.26 a gallon, Melkonian said, customers are coming back.
Cars.com reported yesterday that online shoppers last month were more interested in bigger new cars - such as Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Wrangler and the Cadillac CTS, based on Web searches.
As for used cars, even the Hummer H2 and Hummer H3 - the road hog of all road hogs - have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people entering searches for those models, Cars.com said.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s fuel-efficient Yaris and hybrid electric car Prius have seen declines in online searches, Cars.com said.
“The recent drop in gasoline prices shows once again that consumers have a short memory when it comes to the effect gas prices have on their shopping behavior,” said Patrick Olsen, editor of Cars.com, in a statement.
Not everyone is seeing a shift in sales behavior.
Tom O’Brien, owner of Tom O’Brien Hyundai in Quincy and Danvers, said that just yesterday - on a normally busy Columbus Day - two customers traded in a beefy Lincoln Navigator for a four-cylinder Sonata and a Ford Explorer for a smaller Tuscon SUV.
“I’m betting they’ll keep chasing smaller cars,” said O’Brien.
Craig Carlson, an auto consultant at Strategic Innovation, agreed. “I think the days of (dominant SUV) sales are over,” he said.
Mike Hills, general manager at Acton Toyota, said he’s seeing a little bit of both trends.
Larger vehicles - such as Toyota’s 8-passenger Seqouia SUV - are selling well now that gas prices are falling. But the interest in fuel-efficient cars remains quite strong