Changing Lanes: Americans Choosing Smaller Cars over SUVs, Trucks

Smaller cars are fast becoming the preferred vehicles by new car buyers in the US. The continued slide in SUV and truck sales and the increase in smaller cars sales highlighted this current trend in the automotive industry. A recent Washington Post report noted that smaller cars have been outselling sport utility vehicles for many months now.

New trucks and SUVs sit longer on dealership lots while smaller cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic are practically bought off the truck. Small car sales are lifting the Japanese automakers while Detroit’s Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are having a hard time in terms of sale for their SUVs and Trucks which once were the industry’s cash cows.

This reversal of fortunes in the auto industry can be attributed to a handful of factors. Foremost among these is the continued increase in fuel prices. SUVs and Trucks are widely criticized for being gas-guzzlers and are becoming increasingly impractical considering the increase in gasoline prices.

Meanwhile, the best selling small cars are known for their fuel efficiency and excellent gas mileage. The hybrid gasoline-electric Toyota Prius leads the list of bestselling hybrid cars. The Corolla, one of Toyota’s smallest and most fuel-efficient passenger cars are continuously selling briskly while Honda is struggling to keep up with the escalating demand for its Civic.

However, this surge in interest on smaller cars has caught GM and Ford unprepared. They continued to invest on profit margins and poured money into the once-profitable SUV segment and neglected small cars. Although, because of this greater interest in smaller cars, the Ford Focus saw a 10 percent growth in sales last September.

New buyers of smaller cars and those who have switched from big, gas-guzzling SUVs and Trucks are hoping to cut some costs on their fuel consumption. Fuel efficiency can also be achieved by maintaining a healthy engine in good working condition. Keeping the engine as well as the other essential auto parts in good condition is the best way to maintain a car, small or otherwise.

Replacement auto parts are necessary when maintaining a car in good working condition. You should use only the best quality engine parts, exhaust parts, AC system parts and other important and indispensable parts for your vehicle. You can find top quality replacement parts, collision parts and auto body parts from
Auto Parts Discount, one of the best online suppliers of auto parts today.

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