The combination of storage space and fuel economy has taken on greater importance for Marylanders as fuel prices have risen over the last year and among the local beneficiaries has been the Pontiac Vibe.

Carlos Miller, sales manager at McCullough Metro Pontiac Buick and GMC in Marlo Heights, credits his dealership’s “great” recent sales of the Vibe to the hatchback’s low-cost combination of space and a gas-sipping engine.