Most Replaced Clunker With ... Another Guzzler Like This

Think most who traded in a clunker under the government’s fuel-efficiency incentive program are now driving a hybrid? Guess again: The most common swap was an old, gas-guzzling pickup for a new, just-slightly-less-gas-guzzling pickup, AP analysis finds. Ford’s F150 is a prime example—it gets 1-3 mpg more than the 15-17 of older models, and those who traded ‘em in were 17 times more likely to get a new F150 than a Toyota Prius.

"If we're looking for the environmental story here, we're going to be disappointed," an analyst at Edmunds.com. "It might have started out from the perspective of improving the environment, but it got detoured as a way to stimulate the economy."
(More Cash for Clunkers stories.)