Is Costly Fuel a Deterrent for Car Enthusiast's In America!

If asked to pick a nation which has the highest number of Car Enthusiasts in the World. I guess hardly anyone will differ that the Big Boss Rules the Roost. Of late, the price of Gasoline has been on the northerly tourney in the US, which has dented the Americans love for cars to an extent.

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A Consulting Group in the US has revealed that the Americans car 'enthu' has been on a downswing for the first time in the last 25 years. Though, the drop is small: An Average American Drove 13,657 miles annually in 2005 in comparison to 13,711 miles in 2004, but still the Pattern reflects a deterioration.

There is also a decline in the sales of Lower MPG delivering vehicles and this decline is more profound in the SUV Segment, which hints at the Increase Gasoline Prices acting as a solid deterrent.

Gasoline price hike isn't the only reason, there are a few more like tougher environmental rules, expanded fuel options (Hydrogen and Ethanol) and the aging Population. Aging people tend to drive less, which can be seen as one of the major contributors to this cause. Between 1980 and 2004, drivers aged under 21 reduced from 18.8 million to 15.8 million and people aged above 65 doubled from 15.4 million to 29 million.

It doesn't matter which reason is more influential but the bottom-line is that the decline is evident. This is one of the biggest reasons for the small car market gaining grounds, as people prefer saving more money for the fuel rather than picking up solid Gas Guzzlers from the market and later lamenting on the Low MPG Averages. This was something which never tinged the Americans until know but it has started to show its consequences.

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Courtesy : abcNews