Toyota Prius sales pass Ford Explorer [View All]

[underpants]

Source: MSNBC

The icon of America's SUV passion falls victim to stubbornly high gas prices and an increasingly stringent regulatory climate.



Americans bought more Toyota Prius hybrid gas-electric hatchbacks last year than Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, the top-selling SUV for more than a decade.

The change of fortune, buried in U.S. vehicle-sales data for 2007 and unthinkable a few years ago, will find an echo at this year's Detroit auto show, which starts Sunday.

While Americans' love for powerful gas guzzlers remains strong, a slowing economy and high gasoline prices are forcing buyers to lower their sights.

:eyes:

The Explorer led the SUV charge in the 1990s to replace the minivan as the family car. Baby boomers craving space, a protective cocoon high above the ground and the power of a V-8 engine have driven about 6 million Explorers out of showrooms over the past 18 years.

Read more: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/ToyotaPriusSalesPassFordExplorer.aspx

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No there never was an actual market for SUV's. If your work requires something like that you already had it, for the niche exploring/outdoors market they already had several options. The SUV will go down as one of the greatest and most disasterous examples of marketing (creating false demand)we have ever seen.