Dow Jones Market Watch reports that tight credit, expensive gas and the economy in recession, four cylinder engines are becoming increasingly popular. Four-pot models now make up 37 percent of the U.S. market, up from 30 percent three years ago (when gas was last under $2/gal) Eight cylinder models fell from 28 percent to 18 percent over the same period. Tracing the development to purely economic factors, the report shows that hybrids do not yet offer enough savings to overcome their price premiums; hybrids only make up three percent of the market. "For now, the easiest, cheapest way for new-car shoppers to get better mileage is to choose a model with a conventional four-cylinder engine," says J.D. Power analyst Jason Rothkop. "And they are." The poster child for the four-banger revolution? The Toyotas Yaris. Sales of the four-pot economy car were up 83 percent in March. [For more info on last month's sales, check out Frank Williams' March By The Numbers.]
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