Definitive Proof (some) Americans are Idiots

Political Gateway is running a report stating that $4.00 gas won't stop Americans from buying SUVs.

A core group of US consumers will continue to buy large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) even if gasoline prices rise to four dollars a gallon and stay that way, a senior executive at the Ford Motor Company said Wednesday.

"There is a certain portion of the marketplace and customers who want that flexibility that is provided with a traditional SUV," Mark Fields, president of the automaker's Americas division, said during a conference with analysts.

It has nothing to do with 'flexibility' and everything to do with image. Nobody wants to be the person seen driving the dreaded minivan.

My parents had a minivan. I moved back and forth to college (and my first apartment) in it. When I went to college, I could fit more into my minivan than my then girlfriend could into her Chevy Suburban. And I got about 28 mpg on the highway on the trip up. Needless to say, she didn't. And she had to make two trips.

And while Ford may be right, a certain core group of consumers will continue to drive, and more importantly buy, SUVs, that group will dwindle. If they're relying on SUVs for profits, Ford is going to end up just like GM.