The midyear in autos: 10 ups and downs

Upside: The Lundberg Survey says the national average price of self-serve, regular gas was $3.41 on July 13, down from $3.478 on June 22, and from $3.615 a year ago. That decline was the sixth-straight in the survey, surprising observers who keep forecasting an inexorable rise in prices at the pump.

Downside: Despite the price relief, drivers continue to switch to small and mid-size cars and hybrids, according to Automotive News, while backing off from purchases of high-margin pickups and full-size vans. That's good news for cost-conscious consumers but bad news for automakers, for whom trucks are much more profitable than cars.

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