I'm getting very worried about the 5th gen

[wegman]

Actually the exact opposite will happen. When Demand for something is high and Supply is low, prices go up. When Demand is low and Supply is high, prices drop.

Hybrid vehicles will only help to lower fuel prices over time.

 

[Kwik8608]

I get your point, and I completely understand, but I don't think it applies to gas companies. They know you basically can't live w/o the gas, and if they're not getting their money from the few that have the hybrids, they'll up the prices and get their money from the people that need the gas. Like us 4Runner..ers...

 

[JesterJMM]

Gas Prices

When the demand for gas goes down, the supply does go up which will cause the prices to drop(In the short term, at least)... OPEC won't continue outputting such a large supply if the demand starts to go down and they have to drop their prices.

So your theory about gas prices going down from driving more hybrids is correct in the short term only. Once the gas companies begin to realize that there is an excess in supply, they're going to cut their oil production and the prices will come back up.

Prices are dropping right now because of the excess supply, the fact that people are cutting back on driving due to the economic state, and a number of other factors. Enjoy it while you still can because gas prices will rebound back up in the next couple months.

 

[pipspeak]

the suv segment is definitely going to change over the next few years but i dont think itll be the end. americans have had it good for a long time while the rest of the world has been dealing with higher gas prices. people dont have as many large suvs in europe but those who do buy the diesel. diesels are going to pick up a much larger market share, which is long over due. now that the technology is there for clean diesels, more will show up on the US shores.

True, American culture is totally different and Americans will always want bigger cars on average than the rest of the world. I don't see that changign much, especially since technology is there to improve gas mileage of even big cars significantly.

The demand for 4x4s in the UK (my home country) actually seems to have increased in the last decade despite gas prices there being an average 3 or 4 times more expensive than the US. Diesels are indeed a big reason and in many respects a good TD is a far better choice of powerplant for a truck than a gasoline engine, even a V8 gas engine. Better low-end torque and better mileage are the two main reasons I'd like to see Toyota offer a turbo diesel in the next-gen 4runner. Throw in a manual tranny and finally I'll be happy!

 

[pipspeak]

Re: Gas Prices

Prices are dropping right now because of the excess supply, the fact that people are cutting back on driving due to the economic state, and a number of other factors. Enjoy it while you still can because gas prices will rebound back up in the next couple months.

I'm not sure it'll be month but by this time next year I suspect we'll be back well over $2 a gallon and closer to $3. My uneducated hunch is that $150 oil was a speculative/geopolitical abberration but $40 oil like we have today is also an abberation. I think $70 a barrel sounds about right to me in the medium term.