Observation: people seem to have dumped SUVs for fuel-efficient cars in Maine

[jpak]

This spring, I noticed something...

There are a LOT of Priuses on the road here in Maine. Not just one or two here and there, but everywhere.

And even more new Jettas, Focuses, Fits, Versas, Cruzes, Corrollas, Yarises etc.

Granted there are still lots of full-sized pickups on the road (this is Maine after all ...
but I don't see a lot of Suburban/Explorer-type SUVs or old-school minivans.

In these parts anyway, people appear to have come to grips with chronically high gas prices and did something about it.

Just like they did something about high heating oil prices - a whopping 45% reduction in consumption since 2005...

http://www.kjonline.com/news/maine-heating-oil-use-down-to-lowest-level-in-more-than-two-decades_2012-09-12.html?pagenum=full

Whilst I don't think we'll see such a dramatic reduction in gasoline consumption, my drive-by observations suggest there is something afoot that may stabilize or significantly reduce gasoline consumption in Maine.

Demand destruction is a good thing.

Yup

[Warpy]

1. I've seen the same thing here in NM

10 years ago, it was nearly all SUVs and pickups of various sizes on the road. Now people are back to mid size sedans and I've even seen a few brave souls out there in Mini Coopers and Smart Cars.

I haven't seen an H2 in months and I live near an airbase, the part of town where they were most popular.

[jpak]

4. I see a few Smarties on the road here - brave souls in winter :)

and still quite a few old-school Priuses and Insights.

New-school Insights?

Not so much.

[Demeter]

2. For a while Michigan looked free

of the Urban Assault Vehicles. The cash for clunkers program drove a lot of them off the road....


But lately, Big is Back. Sigh.

And gas is just as expensive. Go figure.

We have our Prius contingent, but it's not significant.

[kestrel91316]

3. Been noticing fewer and fewer SUVs here in L.A. for a couple of

years now, along with more and more Priuses and other fuel-efficient vehicles. And Hummers, once fairly common, are a rare sight.

I see lots and lots of Priuses. Like 2 or 3 at every intersection while waiting for lights. Every time I turn around, there's another one. And about the only SUVs I see now are big, black, pricey import versions like Mercedes-Benz or BMW, typically driven by Persian males or bleached blond women, and there is NEVER anyone else in them but the driver.

[upaloopa]

5. SUVs went away in favor of crossovers.

Crossovers are expensive and don't get real good mileage. We traded in an Ford Edge for a Ford Focus. The Focus is a 4 cylinder and gets around 30 mpg. It still has all the options the Edge had but is cheaper to drive.