Reply #6: Start with this [View All]

[Bozita]

http://www.dcexaminer.com/articles/2005/08/10/news/d_c_news/03newsdc11suvs.txt

Gas prices don't deter SUV buyers
By Christy Goodman and Samson Habte
Examiner Staff Writers

Soaring gas prices - $2.38 a gallon is Virginia's current average - could be assumed to be leading car shoppers to shun SUVs. But they're not.

While sales of the gas-guzzling behemoths dropped dramatically in the first few months of 2005, an innovative sales gimmick introduced this summer by General Motors, Chrysler and Ford - which currently offers all buyers steep discounts previously reserved for employees - has stemmed the decline nationally and locally, according to automobile industry analysts and local dealers.

"Initially there was a slowdown, but with the advent of employee pricing everyone has jumped on the SUV bandwagon," said Eric Jacobi, general manager of Crystal Ford in Silver Spring.

Through July, nationwide sales of Sports Utility Vehichles were 5 percent higher than they were in 2004, according to Kevin Tynan, a senior analyst with the Argus Research Group. Tynan pointed out that SUV sales were down 0.8 percent before the introduction of the GMs' employee discount policy.

more...