SUV dealers feel gas price pain

Drivers buying more fuel-efficient vehicles

Gas prices are affecting the sales of some sport utility vehicles so much that the Ford Expedition's price sticker reads, "Fuel economy rating not required on this vehicle" where the gas mileage is usually stated.

With gas prices rising approaching $4 a gallon, the automotive industry is seeing major changes in consumers' wants and priorities when buying their new cars.

Gas prices have been rising, which has changed the type of vehicles people look at when they go to check out new cars.

SUVs such as the Hummer H2, Hummer H3, Ford Explorer and Ford Expedition have shown a decrease in interest and sales because of the poor gas mileage.

Hummer dealerships are being hit especially hard with the rising gas prices.

"In 38 years I've never seen sales this bad," said Michael Biondini, a salesman at Naperville Hummer.

Biondini has noticed a lot of people getting rid of their Hummers to go to economy cars, which get far better gas mileage than the 9-to-12-mpg H2. Owners are not even moving down to the H3, which gets 15 to 17 mpg, but are leaving the Hummer brand all together.

At Fair Oaks Ford, salesman Doug Christiansen said, "We're finding more people more conscious than they were (before the increase in gas price)."

But some vehicle lovers just can't give up their Hummers or other SUVs. Gas prices are no deterrent.

Some buyers have turned to models that use less gas, like the 18-to-24-mpg Escape.

Christiansen said the Escape has been their biggest seller, which he thought was because the Escape offers better gas mileage than the Explorer and Expedition, but is still considered an SUV.

The Escape is also available in a hybrid, which Christiansen said has "a lot more inquires, but they're hard to get."

Along with Escape, Christiansen also said the new crossover vehicle, the Ford Edge, is a big seller.

Because the Edge is built on a car frame rather than a truck frame, such as the Explorer and Expedition, the Edge gets slightly better gas mileage (17 to 24 mpg), enough to persuade some people.

Although the Escape and Edge are more fuel efficient than the Explorer, Expedition, H2 and H3, Christiansen said some people still want SUVs - it just depends on their driving needs.

Christiansen and Biondini both said SUV sales have been affected by the rising gas prices, but people who either don't drive far to work or have enough money to not care about rising gas prices still buy them.