Comments on: Future Gas Ever More Expensive

By: noflash

noflash — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:55:07 +0000

Gas is less than $2/gallon in Omaha this week.

As people turn to more FE vehicles, supply will increase. That will lessen the increase in the price of oil for the future.

By: RichardT

RichardT — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:36:26 +0000

It is good that the automakers are finally acknowleging that higher prices are permanent, but their estimates seem a bit 'optimistic' to say the least. The average price of gasoline has risen 250% since January 1st, 2000 (when I began keeping weekly records of gas prices in my home town). If the rate of price increase (about 20% a year) continues, world oil extraction remains flat, and demand from China and India continues to rise, $5.00 per gallon average is no more than five years away AT MOST - presuming no hurricanes or successful terrorist attacks on oil facilities during this time.

If you're wanting to take advantage of 'price amnesia' to trade in for a hybrid, the time is here.

By: jake

jake — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:12:16 +0000

Yes! This article is great. :grin :zzz :p

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:15:19 +0000

Note to American automobile manufactures:

Please offer me a nice fuel efficient car. I know at least Ford can do it. The new Volvo S40/V50 looks like a nice car. The Mazda 3 is a nice fuel efficient car. I have read many stories that the new European Focus is a very nice car. Why is the current US Focus a cheap little car (Disclosure: I own a 2004 Focus PZEV wagon).

If you are at a loss as to what to do with the Mercury brand I have a suggestion. Import the European Focus and a version of the Mazda 5 and let Mercury sell something a little bit funky. If you want my next car to be a Ford product, all you have to do is make a hybrid Mazda 5 for under 30K.

One more note. When the Taurus came out it was ahead of Camry and Accord. Over time Toyota and Honda kept investing in their mid-sized cars, Ford did not. In the end the Taurus died a slow death, and Ford invested large sums of cash to develop the Fusion. Would it have been cheaper to just keep investing in continual improvement of the Taurus? Now Ford is doing the same thing to the Focus. When it came out it out performed the Civic and Corolla (not in quality, but in handling and other important measures). Now over time the Civic is ahead of the Focus and the Corolla is getting close.

By: Indigo

Indigo — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:51:05 +0000

I think we could see $3-$4 gasoline a lot sooner than 2015. All it would take is the Stupid Cowboy (Bush) picking a fight with Iran, or another Gulf Coast Cat-5 storm.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:03:06 +0000

Agree with Jerry.. that was a bad analogy by Lutz.. I want to see american companies succeed. But, comments like that one from Lutz, at a time when GM is trying to shed their gas guzzler image, is not his smartest move.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:22:01 +0000

Bob Lutz says making auto makers make smaller cars is like making clothing manufacturers make smaller clothes to stop obesity.

NO BOB!! its like telling your kids that they can't eat at McDonalds everyday