Fire Up the Gas Guzzlers

People may not be buying cars at the moment, but if and when they do, those of the energy-efficient type will not spark much interest as long as gas prices are low:

Edmunds.com estimates that a Prius owner must now wait more than eight years to recoup the extra cost of the vehicle in fuel savings, compared with three and a half years when the petrol price climbed above $4 a gallon last spring. The average price is now about $1.61.