Rising oil prices haven’t deterred US buyers from purchasing full-size pickups despite numerous reports stating that buyers were moving away from such vehicles in droves. Full-size pickups continue to be the most popular vehicles in America for the first nine months of the year, although sales are still down on levels from last year. Number one was again Ford’s F-Series for the 23rd year in a row, followed closely by the Chevrolet Silverado in second and Dodge Ram in fifth position. Coming third was the Toyota Camry, which remains as the nation’s top-selling passenger car, followed by the Honda Accord in fourth.

A recent poll by a panel of automotive experts at The World Oil Conference on Friday goes some way to explaining the results. They found that car manufacturers are having a tough time selling efficient cars, a problem that can be more of a challenge than designing the car in the first place. "Most people want horsepower. They don't want fuel economy," said Bill Reinert from Toyota. Davis University professor Andy Frank added that "the consumer doesn't care about fuel economy. What they care about is how much does it cost me to go from home to work?"

But with the number of autos on the world's roads expected to triple over the 50 years, we’re guaranteed to see a dramatic increase in the number of efficient cars. Gasoline accounts for 30 percent of the US’s petroleum usage and as prices surge upwards, consumers are becoming more interested in fuel efficient vehicles. Unfortunately, the recent easing of prices down to around $2.20 per gallon has left consumers in a state of false security.