Canada: 83.3% of new vehicles bought with 4 cylinder engines

[MetroMPG]

I was surprised it was that high.

And apparently the market share of 4 cylinders has continued to grow, even after gas prices declined last year.

(That could be a function of the economy though: people scaling back their auto purchases in uncertain times.)

So now 83.3 per cent of all cars sold in Canada have a four-banger. That's massive. In fact, DesRosiers Automotive Consultants reports that the overall market share of small, fuel-efficient vehicles (cars and light trucks combined) in Canada has grown from about 25 per cent of sales to about 60 per cent of sales over the last 25 years.

Source: Say so long to the V-8 engine - The Globe and Mail

Anybody know what the US situation is?

[joey]

Don't know, but I'd be interested in finding out. My Taurus is a V6. I had the chance to buy a Neon at the time for about the same price, but chose the Taurus because the Neon came with a CD player (I use the tape deck for my iPod). The Neon with its V4 would have been more efficient, so I have mixed feelings about the decision. However, thanks to more efficient driving, I just hit my second 30+ tank in a row (albeit again with primarily highway driving).

If I have any say in the matter, my next car will definitely be a V4. Hopefully also with a tape deck.

[wagonman76]

It probably helps that 4-cylinders aren't what they used to be, as engines get more efficient. A lot of 4-cylinders these days are more powerful than my V6.

[MazdaMatt]

Funny, considering we're a country that is truely more apt to "need" 4wd
I'm not really suprised - we are NOT the same market as the US. We don't need F150s to feel big and safe (speaking in terms of marketting).

[MetroMPG]

Wagonman, that's a good point to keep in mind with the statement about how things have changed over 25 years towards more 4's.

I've owned: one V8 (from 1964!), two 3-cylinders (Fireflies #1 & #2), one 2-cylinder (Ninja 250). The rest (a lot) have all been 4-cylinders.

[Allch Chcar]

That's an interesting article. The increase might be due in part to the global problems, the gasoline spike, or just market acceptance of 4 bangers. 4 bangers are still mostly base models with a few options but they've been improved greatly over the last decade especially since OBDII became standard.

With Ford, they finally got around to building a 4-banger engine for the newer ECU OperatingSystem around 2000-2001 with the Focus(as it's known now) and the Ranger getting both better power and MPG than previous years from the same 2.3l displacement. The 4 banger Ranger was getting 98hp 130ft-lbs with the 1993 year model, now it gets 150hp 150ft-lbs with better effective MPG to the "average" driver.

Since the gas spike the number of Geo Metros cruising around has increased noticeably. I see many Priuses and compacts wherever I go. There are still plenty of big trucks, this is Kentucky, but I see less and less of the older 70's and 80's trucks.

[RobertSmalls]

US four-cylinder market share: 37% or 45.6% as of last summer.

Four-Banger U.S. Market Share Rises to 37% | The Truth About Cars
Four Is Enough: Consumers Opt for Four-Cylinder Vehicles | Hybrid Cars

The US is a backward country, but we're improving.