I’m sure it is. GM is #1 sales in US, followed by Ford and then Toyota. But you add up all the foreign manufacturing company sales - they are about double what GM and Ford sell.
Good point. When gas was $4 a gallon, I owned a 1998 Dodge truck that got 13 mpg. It was my only vehicle. Filling the 26 gallon tank hurt for sure. Several people told me I should trade it off. But it was paid for, and it would’ve taken a lot of lower priced and less frequent fill ups to pay for the new fuel efficient car. So I held out. I eventually sold it later for other reasons. I definitely wouldn’t buy a new truck with $4 a gallon prices, though. Not sure I can stomach the price of a new truck these days anyway. Maybe I could be a speculator and buy a new truck for less money when gas prices go up and no one else wants them 
I’m actually surprised GM is #1 in total sales. I understand if you add all the foreign brands, the sales are double, but still…you’d think that they could survive fairly comfortably off #1 in sales…?
It’s a matter of which models are selling in sufficient numbers to justify their continued existence. Clearly, the models that they are about to discontinue have not been selling in sufficient numbers. And, our current trade war has helped to reduce the number of models that are exported, and that doesn’t help GM–or manufacturers of many non-automotive products.
That’s cars sold in the US.
When you look at world wide sales…GM drops to 4.
Same place they found themselves the last time it happened. They couldn’t unload SUVs to save their lives. I had people in SUVs offering me obscene amounts of money for my old CRX because the thing got 35+mpg.
One thing America seems to be really good at is steadfastly refusing to learn from history.
1 Like
And we might soon see the convergence of carpe diem/FOMO and reality on a Wall St Journal chart. I feel sure the point will be =/~ to DEAD BROKE. It’s the American way.
Ah, at $2.75 and 20 gallons, it’s already over $50…
Seems like a bargain to only spend $50 after the period where it was $4/gallon and closer to $80
One difference, today’s hot SUV market has lots of CUVs that get much better mpgs than SUVs of old. My next vehicle might be a Rav4 hybrid, 40 mpg. A non-hybrid would be in the mid-high 20s, not bad.
My next vehicle might be the Highlander Hybrid. I LOVE my 14 Highlander. Would have bought the hybrid in 14 if it wasn’t $15,000 more then my LE V6/AWD. But now the hybrid is offered in most of the trim levels (most companies are doing it that way now), so the cost difference is much more reasonable ($2500)
Was just looking at these not too long ago. The hybrid comes with a CVT v an 8sp Auto in the non-hybrid. That’s a yellow flag for me. Both engines are DI. What I saw was the price difference was a little over $5k more for the hybrid in the same base trim level. The mileage improvement is 30 v 21mpg.
The CVT uses the electric and gas motors, and doesn’t use belts and cone pulleys, so it doesn’t have that problem. The 2019 (new model) Rav4 hybrid is rated at 41 city, 37 highway. The price difference is $2,200.
I don’t know the stats on the Highlander hybrid.
Not the Bolt, just the Volt. They want to manufacture electric vehicles.
Here in the State of Poverty gas has been mostly <$2.50 for quite a while.But I recall filling up a Bronco once that topped $100 when the price was $3.50+. I had 2 old Fords years then that were yard art for a while. When gasoline got cheap someone offered me a pile of cash for the Bronco and I let it go then sold the old F-150 for the scrap iron price.I made out on both though. I can’t imagine anyone making a daily driver out of an old truck that only get 11 mpg when coasting down hill but I see them every day and if/when the price gets back to $3.50+ those owners will think an old Escort wagon looks good.
Do any CVTs still use belts at this point?
I was under the impression that they have all utilized very stout steel roller chains for at least a few years.
Wish it was $2.50 here in Seattle, we’re $3.29 to $3.69
I can remember using a credit card at the pump and I couldn’t fill the tank all the way because the pump would shut off at either $75 or $100, can’t rember which. Gas prices are much better now, but I drive the Buick (mid to low 20’s mpg) most days and leave the current truck (15-16 mpg’s) at home anyway. I like driving the truck more, but why throw away money? However, if the Buick were to die before the truck, I’m not sure I’d buy something else. You have to save quite a bit of gas to pay for the more fuel efficient vehicle with my 14 mile commute.
In NJ–where locals are still bitchin & moanin over a gas tax increase a few months ago–the price of Top Tier regular at Costco stations currently ranges from $2.16 to $2.33 per gallon, depending on the municipality. As usual, many people don’t know when they are getting a good deal… relatively speaking…
Gasoline has been $3 per gallon here for a couple of years, $4 in California and people are buying SUVs.
To develop hybrid powertrains for those full size cars to meet future fuel economy standards would be costly and likely result in a great loss.
Costco is $2.99 here, but I don’t have a membership there.