In Europe, small cars have always been more popular than large cars. In the United States, large cars and midsize cars are more popular than smaller cars. As a result, European automakers used to make different kinds of small cars while American automakers used to build bigger, heavier cars. However, these days, automakers in both America and Europe produce cars of different sizes. This is because most automakers sell their cars all over the world.
The price of gasoline (汽油) is one reason for differences in car choices. Since gasoline is more expensive in Europe, many Europeans want smaller, lighter cars that will travel a long way on a gallon (加仑) of gasoline.
Other reasons also enter into the big or little car decision. Many European cities have narrow, winding (弯曲的) streets. In these cities a small car is easier to control than a large one.
For a long time, few Americans bought small cars. Instead they chose large cars, because these roomy cars were more comfortable for large families and long trips. Some people also liked the powerful engines (发动机) that large cars had. Since gasoline was cheap, drivers did not mind that the large cars used a lot of gasoline.
But in the 1970s, there were gasoline shortages in the United States. The price of gasoline went up. Though large cars were still more popular than smaller cars, sales of small cars increased. Some people also bought small cars because these cars caused less air pollution than larger cars.
Today, Americans' car choices are still changing. Though Americans are still buying many small cars, the fastest growing sales are for certain kinds of large cars. These types of cars are called minivans and sport utility vehicles (SUV). They are very popular today. But of course, that could change tomorrow.
