Stacy94PGT

AutoWeek
By JOHN D. STOLL

According to one of the nation’s most recognizable automotive data firms, sales of four-cylinder-powered cars are on the rise, while sales eight-cylinder vehicles are on decline in recent months. But this doesn’t mean big-engined vehicles are going by the wayside.

The study, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates and cited by USA Today, claims that sales of fuel-efficient four-bangers occupied 32.8 percent of February new car sales, up from 27.8 percent in December. Over the same two-month period, V8 vehicles took a 4.5 percent market share hit, falling from 25.9 percent of vehicles sold in December to 21.4 percent in February. Six-cylinder sales remained steady at approximately 45 percent of sales.

The decline followed a steady increase in eight-cylinder market share since February of 2000, when roughly one-fifth of the market was purchasing a V8, according to Power data. USA Today reports the move away from V8s coincides with a rise in gasoline prices, which reached a record $1.722 on March 18. The paper cited AAA numbers and stopped short of blaming worries over war or enviro-consciousness as the culprit for temporary decline in V8 demand.

But Tom Libby, an analyst with J.D. Power, was quoted by USA Today as saying the shift from bigger to smaller over the past two months fits a pattern of increased eight-cylinder sales in the fall, followed by a falloff in January. “People are likely buying sport-utility vehicles with V8 engines in October for the winter,” he said. Libby went on to say trends continue to point to an overall rise in V8 sales, which have been spurred on by a renewed commitment by automakers to offer them in their vehicles.

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Stacy94PGT
My first car was a 67 Mustang Coupe, 2nd one was a 67 Cougar XR-7, 3rd one was a 66 Mustang Coupe. Why did I get rid of these cars for ? I know why, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid.

My next Ford.....