President Obama Strongly Hints You'll Regret Buying a Gas Guzzler
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In an exclusive interview with the Detroit News, President Obama explained that while Americans "should enjoy" cheap gas prices across the country, long-term projections call for rising demand for oil in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Which means a return to higher fuel prices in the future is more or less inevitable.
Consequently, Obama said that it's wise for Americans to operate—and spend, particularly in terms of big-ticket purchases—with the assumption that gas won't be under $3 per gallon indefinitely. "I would strongly advise American consumers to continue to think about how you save money at the pump because it is good for the environment, it’s good for family pocketbooks and if you go back to old habits and suddenly gas is back at $3.50, you are going to not be real happy,” he said.
In reality, when you look at the auto sales trends of 2014, what with purchases of fuel-efficient hybrids like the Toyota Prius flagging while SUVs and luxury cars soar, it appears as if consumers have pretty much been doing the opposite of what the president is advising.
To be fair, consumers haven't totally abandoned the idea that it's smart to own a vehicle that gets good gas mileage. Today's SUVs and trucks are far more fuel-efficient than they've been in the past, and it's not like everyone is suddenly wishing they could drive 10 mpg Hummers again.
But there has been a shift to less fuel-efficient cars that's coincided with plummeting gas prices. According to research by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan Transportation Institute, in December new car purchases averaged 25.1 mpg, down from a high of 25.8 mpg in August. "These recent reductions likely reflect the large and continuing decreases in the price of gasoline," the researchers stated.
Everything's relative, of course. The December average of 25.1 mpg may be down compared to earlier months in 2014, but it still represents a vast improvement over prior years: The average was 24.8 mpg for 2013 as a whole, and around 21 mpg in 2008 and 2009.