Ditching SUVs and Breeding Beefalos

摘要

It is indeed true that sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs)-not to mention pickup trucks and vans-have plummeted in recent months in the U.S. Undoubtedly rising oil prices are playing a big role, and sales of the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Navigator, GMC Yukon and Hummer H2 are all down 50 percent or more. But U.S. automakers are quick to point out that sales have been dropping across all product lines and that attractive financing programs last year translated into record sales numbers. But General Motors (GM), the world's largest automaker, did report that overall sales in the U.S. sank in October 2005 by 22.7 percent compared to the previous year, while sales of SUVs, pickups and vans shrank by 30.3 percent. Ford experienced similar drops.