Drivers Won't Change Their Vehicles Until Fuel Prices Rise 70%
2 June 1998
What Greenhouse Effect?; AutoPacific Study: Drivers Won't Change Their Vehicles Until Fuel Prices Rise 70%SANTA ANA, Calif., June 2 -- A new study by automotive consulting firm AutoPacific reveals what many environmental and policy leaders have feared -- Americans are wedded to their thirsty vehicles. In a survey of almost 26,000 now vehicle buyers, the company's Fuel Economy, Price and Range Study(R) found seven in ten unwilling to change the kind of vehicle they drive until fuel prices reach almost $2.10 per gallon. The other 30% of buyers are unwilling to change their vehicle type at any fuel price. None of which surprises AutoPacific president George Peterson. "Americans' vehicle requirements are mostly contradictory to high fuel economy. Cars are freedom, and freedom is enhanced by space and by power, neither of which contributes much to fuel efficiency." Those hoping younger, perhaps greener, consumers will brighten the picture are likely to be disappointed. The same survey found Generation Xers to be the least likely of all generations to want a fuel efficient four, rather than a six or eight, cylinder engine in their next car. The news doesn't bode well for an America facing worldwide pressure to reduce is fossil fuel usage. Peterson is quick to point out that sport utility vehicles, a popular scapegoat for many of today's vehicular woes, are not the culprit. "Buyers of almost every car segment turn out to be less willing than SUV owners to change their driving habits or their vehicle type," he states. The study found large, luxury and sports car owners the most intractable of all. Over 40% of large car acquirers won't give up their barges, and nearly 32% of luxury car buyers won't change their driving habits. The numbers for sports cars, at 44% and 36% respectively, are even worse. Among brands, luxury import owners seem to have the least time to bother with such workaday trivialities as fuel cost or economy. A 55% majority of Jaguar buyers won't change their vehicles regardless of prices at the pump. Another 46% of Jaguar owners would refuse to change their driving habits. The average BMW owner, while slightly more willing to change their ride or habits, won't do so until fuel hits $2.42 per gallon. Based on AutoPacific's analysis, "As depressing as it sounds, CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) cannot be achieved by pure consumer demand. Buyers all give lip service to high fuel economy, but very few of them will put their wallets where their mouths are," laments Peterson. The 1998 Fuel Economy, Price and Range Study(R) (FUEL) examines the total US light vehicle market. The study provides distinct information by vehicle segment, source, brand, acquisition method, and vehicle line. Information regarding usage, other vehicles in consumers' family fleets and demographics is also provided by the study, as is psychographic profiling. Full electronic data is delivered with FUEL's executive summary. A condensed version of the research, Fuel Economy Briefing(R), is available with an abridged dataset for public agencies, suppliers, and users outside the automotive industry.