One of the reasons the Die Hard movies are so enjoyable is the pervasive suggestion of ethos versus self-interest. Actions are motivated not by a belief in a political philosophy or a sense of justice, but rather by pure greed. It takes a simple cop with abnormal abilities, America's deus ex machina, to right this wrong. When we talk about high gas prices, we tend to focus on who it hurts: truck sales and V8 engines. But who does it help, and is there a more nefarious underlying cause?
Certainly, the oil companies and speculators are the ones who have benefited in this scenario, and are the ones painted as the villains. The heroes are vehicles like the F-150 besting Civic, which sips gas and, therefore, sells well. In the Die Hard universe, owners of fuel efficient beaters would have gotten together with oil companies to drive up the price of the Metro XFi. That's probably not the case. But with news of Toyota missing targets the question must be asked: who, if anyone, will come out on top because of this?