An increasing number of U.S. car shoppers are picking thriftier small engines in the face of gas prices that continue to hover around $3 per gallon.
The percentage of four-cylinder engines in U.S. vehicles has been rising slightly since 2002, but it still was only 25.4 percent of the U.S. engine mix in 2006, according to data collected by Ward’s Automotive Group. Still, in midsize vehicles where consumers have a choice, the majority has picked four-cylinder engines so far this year in nearly all of the best-selling models made by the top five U.S. auto sellers.
Four-cylinder engines generally get better gas mileage and pollute less than their larger counterparts, although they often are noisier and don’t accelerate as well. In many cases, the sticker price of a four-cylinder car is lower than the V-6 version, sometimes by more than $1,000.
Before the recent spike in gas prices, buyers of midsize cars made by the Detroit Three typically went for more powerful and quieter V-6 engines, while those who bought the popular Toyota Camry and Honda Accord Japanese midsize cars generally bought more four-cylinder engines.
Later this year, when gasoline prices are expected to drop after the peak summer driving season, demand will move back toward six-cylinder engines, said George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyist.
Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at Global Insight, an economic research and consulting company, said automakers have improved four-cylinder engines in recent years, making them more powerful and quieter.
Many U.S. car buyers, though, still think the smaller engines are noisy and don’t have enough power, so manufacturers must overcome an image problem, she said.
Source: AP
