The symbolism is quaint. But with gas prices up around $3 a gallon, consumers were already sneering at SUVs and eyeing hybrid cars enviously. SUV and truck sales at GM were down 30 percent in September; Ford's SUV and truck sales dropped 28 percent.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have given us a rare chance to see how Americans respond to Europe-like gas prices. First, it seems, they get angry. Then they make cool, rational decisions about how to use less gasoline.
Environmentalists have always said that the U.S. doesn't tax gas nearly enough. They insisted that if fuel consumption were a pocketbook issue, drivers would pay closer attention to their driving habits and car-buying decisions. They pointed to the high gas prices in Europe as the force behind the popularity of small, fuel-efficient cars there.
It now seems the environmentalists were right--at least about the way consumers would behave. Saving the planet really doesn't seem to be playing a major role in their decisions, though. Neither do the cars governors drive. It's all wallet-driven.
