A changed world...with some caveats

It was interesting to hear different takes on the billions the major American automakers are asking for from the American taxpayer to keep them from going under.

Whether people agreed or not that their should be a bailout, one thing was clear Friday: the industry is in for a big change, and that will trickle down to what we see locally.

There will be less dealership lots. We might live in a new world in which not as many car dealerships will line the sides of freeways. Credit to buy a car will be harder to get. And those cars will likely be more efficient and smaller.

But a couple of caveats also emerged.

One was, despite dismal vehicle sales, dealers continue to report more sales of trucks and SUVs as gas prices come back down.

In six months, if those prices are still low, the psychology of buyers might shift away from green fuel and back toward gasoline, one dealer told me.

Another caveat was just what will replace car sales tax revenue for local cities.

That was an open question, which both dealers and city officials were asking as of Thursday.