Since 1932, the U.S. is known as the country of the V8 engine. Ford was the first to mass-market a car with a V8 and all the other car manufacturers would soon follow. Well, in the US. Everywhere else, 4-cylinder were dominant before then and they would remain dominant to this day. In the thirties, Lincoln made some V12, Cadillac tried the V16, but those weren’t successful. They only lasted a few years before disappearing, it’s not crazy to think that the V8 will follow in the foreseeable future. The sales chart above is astonishing to any European, but there’s some relief seeing that the share of 4-cylinder engines has doubled in only 4-years.

I understand the agreement provided by a large engine is great, but it’s about time Americans realize that in a standard automobile, such as a Cruze (right pic) or a Malibu (left pic), a 4-cylinder is doing the job with far better efficiency. It costs less money to run, and it puts less weight on the front wheels, making driving more enjoyable. Hey, it’s much more fun to drive a Ford Fiesta than a F-150! We’ll see more of that as Europe is going further on the downsizing road with 3 and 2-cylinder engines. Don’t be afraid of low power, turbocharging is part of the game…