I am tired of hyrbirds, yuppies are goofy

May a better car or train. These hybrids are expensive to make. I saw a guy trading one in to get all the latest foo foo.

Gas Prices Pump Up Value of Hybrid Cars

By Linda A Moore Linda A. Moore lmoore@commercialappeal.com
Source: The Commercial Appeal Memphis, TN

Arun Gandhi took possession of a new Toyota Avalon last week.

But the Avalon wasn't his first choice.

"I was hoping to get one of the hybrid cars, but they didn't have one in stock, so I took the Avalon instead," Gandhi said.

He wanted to see the Toyota Prius, the Motor Trend 2004 Car of the Year that boasts a combined gas engine and two electric motors - and an EPA fuel-economy rating of 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the highway.

Gandhi, 70, founder and director of the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at Christian Brothers University, traded a 1997 Camry and averages about 10,000 miles a year.

Still, with rising gas prices, fuel economy is an issue.

"If I was doing a lot of driving around, I would certainly go for less consumption," he said.

Gandhi isn't alone.

Rising prices have car buyers giving gas-mileage estimates closer scrutiny, and Toyota's new Prius is getting a lot of attention, said Kevin Barksdale, general manager at Chuck Hutton Toyota. The cars are presold well in advance of delivery, Barksdale said.

Many of the dealership's customers - not just those in the market for a Prius - have told him gas prices are now a factor in their car- buying decisions.

"It's impacting my customers," Barksdale said. "I've had people come in with a vehicle getting typical V-8 gas mileage and they're coming in looking at trading just to meet the gas prices."

Gas mileage may well be a consideration when car buying, but experts say it will be a while before prices rise enough to seriously shift consumer behavior.

"I think people here in the United States are going to go when they want to go," said Mary Lee Booth, executive director of the Tennessee Oil Marketers Association, a trade group with more than 300 company members.

Booth's thoughts aren't far off.

Guy Caruso, administrator of the Energy Information Administration, warned last week that prices were likely to be significantly higher in some regions, such as California, where gasoline has been averaging $2.12 a gallon with little sign of relief anytime soon.

But sticker shock at the pumps is not likely to keep people off the highways.

The EIA estimated that demand for gasoline this summer would average 9.32 million barrels a day, a record. Both the number of drivers and the miles they travel will continue to increase as they have year after year. Average motor vehicle fuel economy will be "virtually unchanged" from last year, the agency said.

By late last week average gas prices in Memphis were at $1.685 a gallon for regular unleaded, according to AAA, which tracks fuel prices.

That compares with a price of $1.621 a month ago and $1.544 during the same period last year.

Even now, folks aren't staying home because of fuel prices, said Dennis Monroe, AAA division manager for the Greater Memphis area.

AAA creates customized trip maps, called Trip Tiks, for its members, and even though no official studies have been conducted, there has been no decline in Trip Tik requests.

"What we are seeing is a large demand for these Trip Tiks," Monroe said. We have seen it here at our branch. My estimate is, yes we're going to see the normal holiday density of traffic."

People can save gas in other ways, he said, by driving more slowly, keeping the correct air pressure in their tires, air filters changed and engines properly tuned.

Booth believes the rise and fall of gas prices no longer surprises consumers.

"Everybody's used to prices going up and down," Booth said. "I think people have gotten used to the volatility of gas."

- Linda A. Moore: 529-2702

(C) 2004 The Commercial Appeal Memphis, TN. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved