Hurricane Katrina was blamed for rising gasoline prices, and rising gasoline prices were blamed for the demise of the big, thirsty sport-utility.
Consumers instead are embracing the car-based crossover-utility vehicle, or CUV, analysts say, a segment that began to gain strength even before pump prices started rising.
In parking lots throughout the valley, next to the big Ford Expedition or Chevy Tahoe, you're now just as likely to find a Lexus RX 330 or Ford Escape or Subaru B9 Tribeca, one of more than 40 crossover-utility vehicles now available.
In fact, sales of new CUVs, a segment that didn't exist until a decade ago, are expected to exceed new-SUV purchases for the first time in 2006.
``Here's what gas has done,'' George Pipas, a Ford Motor analyst, said during a recent visit to the Bay Area. ``Gas prices accelerated a trend that was already under way.''
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