AUTO TASTES ARE CHANGING

There's no doubt that American tastes in cars and trucks are changing, due mostly to the price of gas.  Those of you old enough to remember the dubious "gas shortages" of the 1970s will also recall how less available gas meant the desire for smaller, more economical vehicles.

Back then, as is the case today, America was unequal to the challenge, so foreign nameplates, especially Toyota and Honda, made tremendous gains, knocking U.S. cars out of the lead in sales.  Then as gas supplies returned to normal, all was forgotten and America again started buying large vehicles, especially the so-called SUVs.  Know what an SUV is?  It's a truck, and the name stems from the fact that some people are ashamed to say they own a truck, so they came up with a new name to give their ride "status".

Now, with gas prices (don't be fooled by the current lull in price hikes) heading for $5 a gallon, people are ditching their trucks like crazy, mostly for, once again, Asian economy cars and small trucks.  Look at any used car lot (and even a lot of new car lots) and you'll see almost nothing but large trucks for sale.

The new star of auto sales is KIA, whose sales are up over 60% from last year.  KIA is now owned by Hyundai, whose sales are also up over last year.  Not far behind KIA is the Toyota Prius, still the most sought-after car.  The Prius, of course, is a hybrid, and Toyota is fighting an uphill battle to make enough of them to meet demand.  No doubt a lot of would-be Prius buyers are latching onto KIAs rather than wait several months for a Prius.

How desperate are the "Big 3" to sell off their overstock of large trucks?  Chrysler, for example, is offering up to 40% off the regular price.  Still, few people are taking the bait, made wary by the greed of Big Oil.