Automakers are working as fast as they can to meet a new consumer landscape: Buyers want not just fuel-efficient cars but also the same amenities they had in their hulking SUVs. It's a change from how most cars have been set up in the USA. Smaller engines meant smaller sticker prices. Automakers put four-cylinder engines in their bare-bones models. If you wanted a moon roof, leather seats or a navigation system, you also got a bigger engine under the hood.
"A lot of it had to do with price points," says Eric Peterson, communications manager for Ford Motor's crossovers. Buyers who spent more wanted more power. "Now, there's more of a shift in consumer mind-set that we're reacting to. … Consumers are saying, 'I want fuel efficiency, and I want all these options as well.' "
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