With gas prices reaching record highs earlier this year, more and more car buyers are eyeing more fuel-efficient vehicles with smaller engines to help cut down on fuel costs. This is helping Ford’s lineup of fuel-efficient cars increase it sales for the period from January to mid-May. Sales of Ford Motor Co.’s four-cylinder vehicles like the Ford Fusion and the Mercury Milan have almost doubled and now accounts for more than 20 percent of all Ford vehicles. The Ford Focus and Escape have also experienced brisk sales over the same period.

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of four-cylinder engines is also being experienced by other automakers. Sales of four-cylinder vehicles in the whole automotive industry rose to 35.4% of the market by mid-May, up from 30.1% last January. Lincoln Zephyr, although a V-6 model, offers both fuel efficiency and power with its 3.0-liter Duratec 30. Ford is also planning to produce hybrid versions of the Fusion and Milan in 2008.