Toyota: U.S. drivers feeling gas pains

But they aren’t rushing to buy more fuel-efficient cars, says chief of the world’s No. 2 automaker.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Higher fuel prices are starting to pique U.S. motorists’ interest in fuel-efficient cars but have not triggered a stampede into humbler vehicles, the head of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday.

Fresh from a trip to the United States, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters at the Frankfurt auto show that reactions to record fuel prices at the pump varied from country to country.

“In the United States, people are getting more fuel conscious. In Japan there has already been a shift towards compact cars. As a result of the most recent (fuel price rises) we have not seen any rapid change in that regard,” he said.

Any change in consumer behavior had to be seen as part of long-term trends, said the head of the world’s number-two carmaker and a leader in fuel-saving hybrid technology.

“To date we have not seen any rapid, sudden change as a result of the hike in petroleum prices but I think it is something we will see going forward.”

Reuters