While many Americans are downsizing from their SUVs to more fuel-efficient cars, some are going even further and downsizing from four-wheeled vehicles to the two-legged kind.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, sales of scooters increased 17 percent last year while rising an additional 19 percent during the first half of 2006. The reason is simple: better gas mileage. The Vespa (pictured), for example, can get between 60 to 70 miles per gallon, easily twice that of compact cars and matching the Toyota Prius.
Increased purchases of scooters, though, do not mean Americans will be abandoning their cars or SUVs any time soon. Sales of even less fuel-efficient motorcycles dwarf scooter purchases while many owners continue to hang on to their four-wheel vehicle. Kristi Webb of Nashville, who owns a Volvo SUV as well as a Vespa, uses the former to drive clients to lunch.
Via Tennesean. Picture by Sanford Myers / Tennesean.