Some Americans will drive trucks, no matter cost

LAWRENCEBURG, Indiana (Reuters) – Seven women pile out of a massive white Chevrolet Suburban and unload the vacuums, mops and buckets of their trade. Gasoline may cost $4 a gallon, but the Chevy’s driver and business owner Leesa Baldwin has no intention of downsizing to a smaller vehicle.

“I love my Suburban. I don’t like paying for the gas, but it simplifies my life,” said Baldwin, who bought the used 7,000-pound SUV two years ago for her cleaning business and hasn’t looked back.


As many Americans abandon SUVs and light trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles, analysts and automakers alike are scrambling to gauge how low ownership will go — and just who will remain die-hard drivers of SUVs, pickups and minivans.

“There’s always going to be a certain market for these vehicles — large families, people towing boats or horses. They have a purpose, and only recently became a substitute for passenger vehicles,” said Samantha Gross, an analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Reuters