Bill Ford Jr.: gas prices good for environment

[klah]

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7130&sid=173&n=156

Ford chairman and CEO Bill Ford said rising gas prices could hurt Ford profits if consumers continue to shy from the big SUVs, as they did in April, that drive Ford's profits. But the chairman also said higher gas prices could drive a natural market demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, which he considers a good thing.
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Ford said the automaker was in the "uncomfortable position" of trying to push vehicles that would be more fuel efficient than today's Ford Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion SUV at a time when consumer demand was for larger more powerful vehicles.

Buyers lining up for Ford's hybrid SUV

Ford Motor won't start selling its Ford Escape Hybrid sport-utility vehicle until August. And it plans to sell only 20,000 a year. But it already has 30,000 potential buyers.
[*]80% are college educated, vs. 50% for regular Escape buyers.
[*]80% earn more than $100,000 a year, vs. 20% for regular Escapes.
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Ford says Escape Hybrid is getting 28 to 30 miles per gallon in mixed city-highway tests. That's compared with 20 mpg for the V-6 gas-power Escape and 25 mpg for the four-cylinder gas model.