High gas prices? What high gas prices?

An article from Fortune about how domestic car buyers have apparently entirely forgotten that gas was well over $3 a gallon this summer, and are shunning fuel-efficient American cars and chalking up record sales of big SUVs. The author blames this on "amnesia" and says that as soon as high gas prices went away, middle America went straight back to their big, fat cars.

While I can't argue against the truth of this, I think there's something he's overlooking about the trend in Ford and GM purchasing.

Basically, small American cars suck.

U.S. manufacturers small cars are invariably their cheapest models, and feel like it as soon as you drive one. There is no U.S. equivalent to the Honda Civic or Mazda '3' -- small, efficient cars that are actually fun to drive, instead of being basic transportation. No one wants to drive a car that makes the statement "This is all I could afford."