India and China's Middle Classes Rise; Americans Dust Off Their Bikes

It's been in the air recently: the comparison game. Actually, you might even call it the "role reversal" game. Americans cannot live without their cars. But with the middle classes in both India and China rising faster than the gas prices in the U.S., it looks like our Asian friends are also quickly becoming car-reliant. Yes, of course they are sucking out more of the world's gasoline, but at least they are the world leaders in small car autos that are fuel efficient Below is the Reva Electric Car of Bangalore, India. I was musing with some colleagues a few days ago about how bicycle sales are decreasing in China and India but increasing in the U.S. Are we slowly having a minimal cultural flip-flop with Asia? While most people in the U.S. are not forced to ride bicycles now, I've heard many business people remark that they might start riding a bike to work. And our Asian friends are picking out their new vehicles... –Lindsay Goodier, Online Editor, OilandGasInvestor.com; email me at lgoodier@hartenergy.com