USA TODAY: An auto industry that has worked so hard to burnish its lineups of small cars enters 2015 with an SUV-sized problem: Low gas prices have buyers craving bigger vehicles.
It’s not just that gas prices are the lowest since 2009, but also a sense by some buyers that this time they may stay low. That’s hurting sales of hybrids and small cars, while leading to higher demand for SUVs and pickups.
As 2014’s final sales tallies are revealed this week, they are expected to show the disparity. In a boom year for the the auto industry, sales of small cars grew 4.2% through the first 11 months, according to Autodata. But sales of pickup trucks were up 5.4% and sales of SUVs of all sizes were up 11.7%… (more)
