You Go Boy, Drop That Pump

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by HLJ

If you are concerned about the price of gas, the simple solution is to use less - either by driving less or by driving a vehicle that doesn't need as much gas.

The obvious American solution is to add yet another vehicle to the family's fleet.

With gas prices well over $3 a gallon nationwide, many drivers are lining up to buy small cars.

But hundreds of thousands of consumers aren't giving up anything to downsize. Instead, they are simply adding pint-sized transportation to their driveways, parked alongside their SUV or pickup.

In households that own a small car, the family fleet is close to an average of three vehicles, according to CNW Marketing Research, which tracks industry trends (the national average is just over two cars per household, and America was a one-car-per-family nation a generation ago).

These growing fleets suggest an approach to conservation that is more addition than subtraction. "Small cars are like a fashion statement," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing.