Convinced that low oil prices are here to stay, domestic auto executives shrugged off concerns about a potential plateau in global automobile demand, issuing bullish forecasts for 2016 and pledging billions of dollars in additional proceeds for shareholders. Oil slipped below $30 a barrel earlier this week for the first time since 2003, as auto companies gathered in Detroit for an annual North American International Auto Show focused on self-driving and electric cars. Today, however, the world’s car companies are profiting from a surge in demand for trucks and sport-utility vehicles. Although those products have been all but unmentioned at the auto show, their popularity puts Detroit in the driver’s seat. “We believe there has been a permanent shift in consumer choice,” Fiat Chrysler Automobiles FCAU -4.03 % NV Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said at a news conference here. He said his company was taking “a hard look at […]