|
|
||
Gas prices are rising, but Fredericksburg-area dealers aren't worried that SUV sales will plummet Date published: 5/22/2004 By KIM ANDERSON BECKY AND TONY Lovelace want a 2004 Lincoln Navi- gator. The Stafford County pair covet the full-size sport utility vehicle's GPS navigation system, the rear entertainment system--which includes a DVD player--and the sheer roominess and power of the luxury vehicle. They aren't going to let a little thing like paying $2 for a gallon of gas faze them. "It's not a concern," said Becky Lovelace, who was out on the lot at Purvis Ford with her husband earlier this week, eyeing a dark blue Navigator. That doesn't surprise Dave Eadie, sales manager for Purvis Ford at Four-Mile Fork. Eadie said SUVs have continued to sell well, despite rising gas prices. Purvis sells about 40 SUVs a month, and that pace hasn't slowed. Regular unleaded gas prices locally are nearing $2 a gallon--and crossing that mark at some stations. While many drivers are concerned about paying more at the pump, most people who are in the market for SUVs, particularly the luxury models, aren't worried. That may change, however, according to a survey on prices from Edmunds.com, a consumer Web site that offers unbiased automobile information. The Web site's Edmund Price Index found that prices for new cars had increased 2.4 percent from last April to this April, according to a press release. Compact cars saw the largest price increase, the release states. However, SUVs saw the largest decline, of about 1.5 percent. "Although we have yet to see a flood of consumers trading in their large SUVs or trucks for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, our analysis of 16 different vehicle segments clearly displays a relative weakening of demand for larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles," Dr. Jane Liu, vice president of data analysis for Edmunds.com, said in the release. Eadie said he isn't that worried yet. He's had only one customer in the past three months who went from an Exhibition to an Explorer. Eadie said he wasn't even sure if gas prices were a factor in that decision. "The trucks, big SUVs are going bigger than ever," he said. The news was about the same at Ron Rosner Toyota on the U.S. 1 Bypass, according to sales manager Tony Long.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
|
|
|||||||||||||
