Annual auto show shifts to fuel-efficient vehicles

Published On: Apr 02 2012 06:26:34 AM HST
Updated On: Apr 02 2012 04:26:10 PM HST

You could find more fuel-efficient cars at this year's First Hawaiian Auto Show.


Follow the yellow carpeted road and you find the fuel efficient vehicle you are looking for.

That is if you, like so many drivers, are tired of steadily increasing gas prices.

The state's average price of a regular gallon of gas rose to $4.597 Saturday breaking the record set last May at $4.594.

"We planned for retirement but we never planned for $4.50 gas. We figured there would be a ceiling but there's no ceiling it's like the sky's the limit," said Keola Akana a Honolulu resident shopping for a hybrid.

From a truck that gets a measly 11 miles per gallon to an electric vehicle that gets a whopping 95 mile, there is a range of rides at the First Hawaiian International auto show.

However for the first year, the number of mileage conscious vehicles beat out the number of 8-cyclinder gas guzzlers.

"There are more hybrids and electric cars but there are also more cars that on a regular gallon of gas can go a lot further down the road and I don't think I've ever seen that much shift," said David Rolf, the executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association.

Car experts said as gas prices break records; more and more buyers are purchasing vehicles that alleviate the pain at the pump.

Nowadays, you don't have to lose luxury when choosing a hybrid.

"I'm pretty surprised at the pricing and the quality for the hybrids. Everybody wanted a lot of money for the hybrids when they first came out," said Cash Snively.
Australian visitor Dale Spedding couldn't pass up a shiny big truck, even if it costs more to drive down under.

"Probably be about a couple hundred bucks Australian to fill it up, yeah," said Spedding.

When asked if he would look for another vehicle, Spedding laughed and said yes.

The Obama administration is pushing for new regulations requiring vehicles to achieve an average of 54-point-5 miles per gallon by 2025.


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