Arkansas Blog

After I saw the ad Sunday, I read the legislation. Turns out, the requirements for the automakers are the LEAST stringent part of the bill. And they're fighting against having to be one iota more efficient.

Remember "who loves ya baby" when you're filling up with gas. It's not the automakers or Exxon.

Great! Another opportunity for Pryor to demonstrate his support for his Republican bosses.

The CEO of Toyota projects that their entire fleet will be hybrids or alternate energy by 2020.

Two and three year-old Prius hybrids are selling for close to sticker price when they were first purchased. Toyota has sold so many hybrids that the Federal tax credit is expiring. Honda is touting the most fuel efficient fleet in America (helped mostly by their sagging truck and SUV sales compared to their efficient cars), Volkswagen joins Honda and Toyota in being on the verge of shipping more fuel efficient and cleaner diesel engines (all their 2009 diesels are expected to meet California emission standards without modification).

Ford makes the most fuel efficient SUV and markets the snot out of their non-hybrid SUV's and the new Edge an SUV/min-van crossover with not good mileage.
In return our makers want to dodge legislation that would force them to be more competitive?

Ah, come on, guys. Feulish, smeulish. Let's use every drop we can get our hands on while it lasts. The sooner we run out the sooner us peons will have to revert to bicycles and gardens, sitting under the shade tree in the summer and snuggling in the winter. That way, we'll be healthier and there'll probably be more of us to support King George and his cronies, er, court, er, followers -- what the hell do you call the dunces? Or maybe we are the dunces . . .

I drive a small Saturn. Last week, it took $35 to fill up my tank. Could there be a worse time for the auto industry to fight increased fuel efficiency standards?

The auto industry doesn't want to fight that battle head on, because they will lose. Instead, the auto industry is styling this as an attack on consumers' "vehicle choice." Americans should have the right to buy whatever gas-guzzler they like, regardless of the impact on the rest of us.

Don't be fooled. This isn't about "vehicle choice," it's about making smart choices for our energy future. More efficient cars means better usage of energy, a cleaner environment, and a nation that is less dependent on foreign oil.

Call Senators Lincoln (501.375.2993) and Pryor (501.324.6336) and tell to support higher fuel efficiency standards. Don't be fooled by the auto industry's latest bait-and-switch attempts.

This is all purely anecdotal but, here it is anyway.

I drive Cantrell road in Little Rock twice a day in commute.

When gas is in the $2.50/2.80 range I am nearly the ONLY car in traffic. Today it was close to 50/50 cars to SUV's. The sad fact is that 90% or more of the vehicles only have a single occupant.

What is really noticable is that I can see other vehicles to get an idea what the mix actually is.

Most days I just settle in behind some Yukon or Excursion and listen to the radio. Long ago I quit trying to find a car to get behind so I could see beyond the back bumper in front of me.

But this morning I was able see where we were going and at one point was in a line of six cars. Normally that is unheard of. Six SUV's possibly.

So, the recent spike in gas prices is causing drivers to take the car and park the SUV instead of the other way around.

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

I have a friend with two SUVs. He bought a Toyota hybrid Monday.

US automakers would rather defend a dying market than adapt to a new one.

Why not place a surcharge
on inefficient vehicles? With
our ever growing national debt,
we could use the extra money.

Unfortunately, it's not just US automakers. One of the people who contributed to the ad is the owner of the TOYOTA dealership in Conway. Yep, Jack Caldwell, who is making lots of money selling hybrids, doesn't want to risk that he'll lose the money he might make on the odd truck sale too.

My boss drives a Prius bought from Caldwell and loves it. I was steering in that direction and while I may one day buy a hybrid and even a Toyota, it won't be from my local dealership.

It would be interesting to track the percentage sold/listed of SUVs vs. Hybrids on eBay motors.

As the price of gas goes up, so does the value of a hybrid, and therefore so does the price. What a great market to be in.

Gore wants to switch income taxes over to energy taxes and Max wants to tax natural gas reserves in Arkansas's as we extract it...

What say ye, flat tax proponents?

Perhaps AR could review its sales tax on used autos and encourage lower income folks to buy more fuel efficient used vehicles. What about a tax surcharge on gasoline purchases over 15 gallons...thus nailing SUVs and other monsters etc. where they shouild be nailed...at the pump.

I reduced my gasoline consumption over 90 percent in the last 6 years with a smaller vehicle and less driving... We all can do a lot right now and its great news to hear the anecdotal evidence from cantrell.

I've begun riding my 45mpg motorcycle back & forth to work when the weather forecast is favorable unless I have to run some errands during the day to haul anything of substance. But what other ramifications are in store for Arkansas due to $3.00+ per gallon gasoline? Might some of the dry counties go wet in the near future to cut down on all those needless miles back & forth to the wet county lines? Look at what happened in Marion county in November and what might be happening in Benton county later this year.