单项选择题

David Blume, a 48 year-old seafood retailer from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., feels guilty about the gas he burns during his 60-mile roundtrip commute—up to a point. "I’m all for saving the environment, but my first priority is putting my kid through college," says the father of a high-school senior. "I won’t even consider a hybrid unless gas prices change dramatically again."
Such sentiment could pose a major problem for beleaguered (处理困境的) automakers that are shifting away from SUVs and banking on fuel-efficient hybrids and electric cars to stay in business. As expected, the cars showcased at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit were vehicles that run primarily on batteries, including the much-hyped Chevy Volt, the Jeep Patriot and the Dodge Circuit EV sports car.
Carmakers saw the show as an opportunity to advertise positive change. "People were expecting a funeral for 2009," says Jon J. Lauchner, Vice president of global program management for General Motors, but "GM is here to stay. There is no reason to think we won’t get past this rough patch." Glancing around the auto show floor, he adds, "We have cars that people will buy and will buy in big numbers."
That may be a bit optimistic. Given the bleak economy and relatively tight financing market, buying a new car just isn’t as easy as it once was. The million-dollar question going forward: Will the recession kill the chances of hybrid and electric vehicles from going mainstream Asking drivers to pay more when they’ve got little to spend is proving to be a tough sell for the auto industry. "With gas under $ 2 a gallon, it’s hard to convince consumers to invest that additional money," Says John Nielsen, director of auto repair and buying for AAA in Orlando, Fla.
For the moment, driving green requires a substantial upfront investment. While Jim McDowell, vice president of BMW’s Mini division, says drivers are going "bananas" over its pilot electric vehicle, the one-year monthly lease price is $ 850, more than twice as much as the comparable non-electric Mini. And hybrids, which use gasoline to power a combination electric-gas motor, cost more than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles. And for all the positive press and public opinion about Toyota’s Prius, sales of the car plummeted(垂直落下) 44 percent from December 2007 to December 2008.
According to John Nielsen, consumers are reluctant to buy hybrid and electric cars because ______.