Fuel Economy Now Selling

American Way
American automakers did not leap wholeheartedly into the small-car fray until the mid-1970s, after the 1973-74 OPEC oil embargo suggested a specter of shortages and rationing. For a while, significant numbers of car-shoppers gravitated toward Pintos and Vegas, Chevettes and Omnis. As crisis worries eased in the early 1980s, though, fuel economy began to shrink as a buying factor. Instead, cars kept getting larger and more powerful.


Compacts like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla retained loyal followings. Yet, for the most part, automakers—both domestic and foreign—bet on midsize models and above, and on V-6 and V-8 engines rather than four-cylinders.

Efficiency Experts
In the wake of upward-spiraling gasoline prices in the first half of 2008, are some new-car customers finally weighing the benefits of smaller cars and turning away from elephantine SUVs? Monthly sales totals demonstrate that many are.


Honda's sales figures tell a particularly dramatic tale. As reported by Automotive News, sales of the compact Civic in May 2008 were one-third higher than in May 2007. For the first five months of 2008, Civic saw a 20-percent hike, compared to the same period a year earlier. Sales of the smaller-yet Fit, launched as a 2007 model, grew 64 percent in the first five months of 2008, compared to 2007.

Mileage Sells
Gas mileage, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency, has finally become a compelling selling point. An automatic-transmission Civic gets an estimate of 25 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway. The Civic Hybrid scores higher yet: 40 mpg city/ 40 mpg highway. Toyota's Prius hybrid earns a 48/45 estimate.