Goodbye SUV, hello small cars

Surge in gas prices leads to scaling down of the vehicles Americans drive.

DETROIT (AP) — Scott Piechocinski roamed the rows of a CarMax dealership in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent afternoon, searching for something small to replace his son’s 2001 Nissan Pathfinder sport/utility vehicle.

He’s not alone: As gas prices marched higher and now top $3.50 per gallon across the nation, car buyers across the country increasingly are abandoning SUVs and pickups in favor of smaller crossovers and cars.


“Fuel is money,” Piechocinski said. “You have to be realistic.”

The trend also is showing up globally and could rival the industry upheaval that followed the last big oil price shock in 1980. That earthquake caught Detroit automakers lacking in the fuel-efficient models buyers were demanding and set the stage for the rise of Asian competitors such as Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC rebounded in the 1990s when fuel was relatively cheap and they piled up big profits selling SUVs and pickups. But now history is repeating itself – with a vengeance.

AP