"It's a combination of things," he said. "But I think the biggest thing was the fuel scare."

"What we've seen, especially this year, has been some genuine price reductions by the automakers to be more competitive with the price environment you're seeing in the (U.S.)," [Carlos Gomes] said.

"(Monday) we sold 17 vehicles out here," Keith Place, a sales professional with Murray Chevrolet Hummer, said Tuesday. "It was a zoo."