According to Ken Bensinger's article in today's Los Angeles Times, "in April, Americans bought 64,310 more cars than trucks and SUVs, continuing a trend that began in March, when cars pulled ahead by about 3,000."

There's no mystery about the cause -- it's those higher gas prices, and the "R" word that politicians refuse to speak: "Recession." The only difference that I can see from this Recession that we're mired in right now and previous Recessions, as far as SUVs go, is that I don't think SUVs will ever recover. Until the day comes that we're no longer relying on petroleum to fuel our vehicles, the days of affordable gas and big SUVs are over. I expect this trend of smaller vehicle sales to continue, indeed to accelerate, as the big SUV becomes a dinosaur.

The gas companies have been softening us up to the $4 per gallon price for a couple of years -- don't be surprised to see $5 per gallon very soon. The propaganda wave about how Europeans routinely pay the equivalent of $7 and $8 per gallon will increase, as the marketers attempt to convince us that we're actually still getting cheap fuel, and the higher prices we see at the pump are really just "corrections," prices that we should have been paying all along. The reality will hit, though, and people will realize that their money only goes so far -- and that it will go farther in a small vehicle than in a large one.

Is this the death of the large SUV? Will hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles save the breed? Click on "comments" below and share your thoughts.

Photo © Jason Fogelson