Nov 11, 2008 10:48 pm US/Central
Minnesotans Rekindle Love Affair With SUVs, Trucks
(WCCO)
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The first wintry mix of the season isn't the best day for sales, but Walser Toyota watched truck and SUV transactions thaw from where they were this summer.
CBS
When gas topped $4 a gallon this summer Minnesotans wondered if the love affair with giant trucks and SUVs was over. But Twin Cities dealerships said no way. As gas prices drop in Minnesota, they say they're seeing sales of bigger vehicles go up.
So if you thought the gas guzzlers were gone, think again.
"We're a two SUV family so we can find ourselves getting out more these days," one driver told us.
The first wintry mix of the season isn't the best day for sales, but Walser Toyota watched truck and SUV transactions thaw from where they were this summer.
"We've seen a really pretty dramatic increase in business but it couldn't have gotten much worse," said Doug Sprinthall of Walser Automotive Group.
Walser went from a few months of selling just a few dozen to topping 200 SUV sales last month.
Remember that hybrid hype? The Toyota Prius that once had a 100-plus customer waiting is now in supply on the lot.
Dave Brennan, a marketing professor at St. Thomas University sees the spike as temporary.
"If anybody thinks that the gas is going to stay at below $2 a gallon, I'd think again," Brennan said.
He said inventories are still high and because of big incentives the prices are low. And there's also the fact that winter is on the way.
"As great as a Corolla is, you can't haul six kids and your snowmobile up to the lake in a Corolla," Sprinthall said.
Walser started to advertise again after taking a break from the big vehicles for a few months. The recent boost in sales is a silver lining in what has been a bleak business and a decision that's paid off for those who decided to hold onto their SUVs keys.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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