12-31-2008, 01:12 PM
By Adrianne Jeffries | Special to the Daily Press
December 30, 2008
NEWPORT NEWS - It looks like the Highlander is in and the Prius is out ââ¬â for now at least.
Trucks and sport utility vehicles will outsell cars for the first time since February, according to a December report by Edmunds.com, which tracks industry statistics.
"Despite all the public discussion of fuel efficiency, SUVs and trucks are the industry's biggest sellers right now as a remarkable number of buyers seem to be compelled by three factors: great deals, low gas prices and winter weather," said Michelle Krebs of AutoObserver.com, a division of Edmunds.com, in a prepared statement.
"It was this summer that customers were concerned about the gas mileage. It hasn't been a topic of conversation lately," said Dave Lawson, the general sales manager at Pomoco Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Newport News. The majority of Pomoco's inventory is SUVs, and its best-selling models are minivans.
Lawson said sales at the dealership are up, although they are still below last year's numbers. Low gas prices and increased consumer confidence are part of the reason, he said. But the real draw for customers is prices.
"I really think one of the biggest reasons the SUV sales are outpacing the car sales is because of the discounts," Lawson said. "The manufacturers have incentives like I've never seen before."
Lawson said discounts are biggest for 2008 models like the Dodge Ram 2500, which is currently marked down $12,000.
"This month has definitely been a little bit of a better month than most, and hopefully that will carry into the new year," Lawson said. "We're very positive down here."
The surge in SUV and truck sales suggests that the issue of fuel efficiency has faded in the minds of many consumers.
Toyota has already slowed production of the industry's flagship hybrid vehicle, the Prius, due to lack of interest and a growing inventory of the once best-selling model, Edmunds.com reported.
All this might mean a setback for fuel-efficient models that were heralded as a remedy for the country's addiction to oil.
In a November interview with "60 Minutes," President-elect Barack Obama described the pattern as "shock to trance." "You know, oil prices go up, gas prices at the pump go up, everybody goes into a flurry of activity," Obama said. "And then the prices go back down and suddenly we act like it's not important, and we start, you know, filling up our SUVs again."
Rick Gallaer, president of the Pomoco auto group, said the dealership just reflects customer demand.
"If the consumer wants SUVs, we're here to give it to them," he said. "If the consumer wants fuel efficient cars we will provide that."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_...6578.story
December 30, 2008
NEWPORT NEWS - It looks like the Highlander is in and the Prius is out ââ¬â for now at least.
Trucks and sport utility vehicles will outsell cars for the first time since February, according to a December report by Edmunds.com, which tracks industry statistics.
"Despite all the public discussion of fuel efficiency, SUVs and trucks are the industry's biggest sellers right now as a remarkable number of buyers seem to be compelled by three factors: great deals, low gas prices and winter weather," said Michelle Krebs of AutoObserver.com, a division of Edmunds.com, in a prepared statement.
"It was this summer that customers were concerned about the gas mileage. It hasn't been a topic of conversation lately," said Dave Lawson, the general sales manager at Pomoco Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Newport News. The majority of Pomoco's inventory is SUVs, and its best-selling models are minivans.
Lawson said sales at the dealership are up, although they are still below last year's numbers. Low gas prices and increased consumer confidence are part of the reason, he said. But the real draw for customers is prices.
"I really think one of the biggest reasons the SUV sales are outpacing the car sales is because of the discounts," Lawson said. "The manufacturers have incentives like I've never seen before."
Lawson said discounts are biggest for 2008 models like the Dodge Ram 2500, which is currently marked down $12,000.
"This month has definitely been a little bit of a better month than most, and hopefully that will carry into the new year," Lawson said. "We're very positive down here."
The surge in SUV and truck sales suggests that the issue of fuel efficiency has faded in the minds of many consumers.
Toyota has already slowed production of the industry's flagship hybrid vehicle, the Prius, due to lack of interest and a growing inventory of the once best-selling model, Edmunds.com reported.
All this might mean a setback for fuel-efficient models that were heralded as a remedy for the country's addiction to oil.
In a November interview with "60 Minutes," President-elect Barack Obama described the pattern as "shock to trance." "You know, oil prices go up, gas prices at the pump go up, everybody goes into a flurry of activity," Obama said. "And then the prices go back down and suddenly we act like it's not important, and we start, you know, filling up our SUVs again."
Rick Gallaer, president of the Pomoco auto group, said the dealership just reflects customer demand.
"If the consumer wants SUVs, we're here to give it to them," he said. "If the consumer wants fuel efficient cars we will provide that."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_...6578.story