Bad news for Detroit is spelled MPG

It appears that the prospect of $4 gas finally has Americans getting serious about fuel economy.

Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) CEO Alan Mulally said Thursday that his company has seen a "tipping point" in buyers' preferences towards smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.

But the problems are not limited to Ford. According to sales tracker Autodata, full-size pickup sales were down 22% in April compared to a year earlier, while and large SUV sales plunged 32% over the same period.

Ford warned Thursday that its North American auto unit would not return to profitability next year because of the change in buyer preferences.

In addition, light trucks have made up a majority of U.S. sales at General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC for years.

You know if you can't afford to drive that big SUV anymore, maybe the kids could still use to camp out in, parked in the backyard.

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