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Small Cars Surge Amid Sky-High Gas Prices

1 in 5 vehicles sold in April was compact or subcompact

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted May 2, 2008 8:44 AM CDT

(Newser) – Facing ballooning gas prices, many Americans are turning to smaller cars, with about one in five vehicles sold in April a compact or subcompact, the New York Times reports. That compares to one in eight 10 years ago. “It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here,” said Ford’s chief sales analyst.

SUV sales fell 25% this year; meanwhile, four-cylinder engines outsold six-cylinders for the first time last month. The trend has put a big dent in the profits of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, now scrambling to catch up with Honda and Toyota's smaller vehicles. “The era of the truck-based large SUV’s is over,” said an industry watcher.

2008 Focus sedans sit outside a Ford dealership in the east Denver suburb of Aurora, Colo., on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008.
2008 Focus sedans sit outside a Ford dealership in the east Denver suburb of Aurora, Colo., on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Robynne Raye pulls her Honda Fit into her tiny garage in Seattle on Wednesday Aug. 23, 2007.
Robynne Raye pulls her Honda Fit into her tiny garage in Seattle on Wednesday Aug. 23, 2007.   (AP Photo/Marcus R. Donner)
The 2009 Honda Fit is introduced during the Honda news conference at the New York International Auto Show Wednesday, March 19, 2008.
The 2009 Honda Fit is introduced during the Honda news conference at the New York International Auto Show Wednesday, March 19, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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