For months now we’ve been bombarded by doomsday stories about the high price of gasoline that’s supposedly destined to send us to the poor house. Meantime, our own Chad Adams has been driving his cute little hybrid (the Blue Bird as I call it) and laughing at the rest of us as he enjoys 50+ miles per gallon. Now I’m no fan of paying more, rather than less, to fill up my Tahoe, which I love, but those who’ve been crying about gas have refused to recognize that consumers will adjust behavior — as Chad has — and the market for gasoline and cars will, once again, react to those forces. A Bloomberg News story published May 27 provides evidence that the Chads of the world are having an impact.
“Nissan will build gasoline-electric Altima sedans at a U.S. plant starting in 2006. Japan’s second-largest automaker plans to build the hybrid version of the Altima at either Smyrna, Tenn., or Canton, Miss. Toyota said last week it will build hybrid Camry sedans in Kentucky.”
