Thursday - June 12, 2008

Amazing news: SUVs not selling well anymore

It’s no secret that drivers are flocking to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars as the cost of gas marches higher. And midsize SUVs are built on the same frames as trucks, which add extra weight and drink more fuel.

So drivers who want a bigger ride are opting for newer crossover vehicles — such as the Ford Edge or Buick Enclave — that look and perform like SUVs but are lighter because they’re built on the same underpinnings as cars.

They’re not well-equipped to go off-road, but analysts say few people were using that feature, anyway.

he move away from midsize SUVs is painfully clear to Tonie Mixer of De Pere, Wis., who has been trying for a month to sell her cream-colored 2007 Explorer, which features heated leather seats and a power moon roof.

So far, the only inquires have been from brokers wanting to help with the sale.

“It’s the perfect car,” she said. “But it just uses the gas because we got the big engine in it.”
It uses the cash, too. At $4 per gallon, it costs $90 to fill the 22 1/2-gallon tank of a 2007 Explorer. A four-wheel-drive model with a powerful 4.6-liter V8 engine gets just 13 miles per gallon in the city and 18 on the highway.

And that’s a midsize. Sorry folks, but that’s a gas sucking pig as far as I’m concerned. It’s nice to have a well made, solid vehicle. It’s nice to have lots of room for your passengers and your gear. It’s nice to be able to sit up high and see everything. And it’s nice to have enough power to move a big vehicle like that around. But it comes at a cost. And just like the housing bubble, too many people bought too much vehicle, and now they’re in a bind. Well, that’s a shame. How quickly we forget. We went through this exact same cycle back in 1971, though I’m a bit amazed that today’s high-tech medium sized SUVs actually get mileage just as bad as the gigantic full sized cars with their massive carburated big block engines did back then. 13mpg around town? That’s freakin pathetic. And that’s a midsize. What kind of mileage does a Hummer get, or a Ford Excursion with the massive mega-power engine get? 4mpg around town? 6 perhaps?

Midsize SUV sales were down 24 percent for the first five months of this year from the same period in 2007. The decline for May was an especially steep 38 percent, according to Autodata Corp.

People bought about 445,000 Explorers in 2000, at the height of the SUV market, but last year Ford only sold about one-third of that number. And 2008 looks even worse.

For large SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Suburban and for Ford Expedition, sales declines have also been huge. But automakers are betting they will survive — in smaller numbers — because of large families that need the space and people who tow boats and campers.

I remember, once upon a time, back in the dark ages of the 80s, that there was a Honda Civic station wagon. It was an odd looking vehicle, a small car with huge windows. But you know what? It was really practical. You had room for 4, with lots of headroom. No trouble strapping little Jimmy into the child seat. Plus you could put a giant TV in the back and still have room for groceries. It wasn’t a speed demon, but it did get 30mpg on the highway. It was sort of a mini-minivan, only with normal doors.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/12/2008 at 09:21 AM   
Filed Under: • Oil, Alternative Energy, and Gas Prices •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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