Writing for the May 2 edition of the New York Times, Bill Vlasic highlights the steady move of the American automotive consumer to smaller, more efficient vehicles. The trend is so pronounced, Vlasic refers to it as a "stampede."

Approximately 1 in 5 vehicles sold in this country in the month of April was a compact or sub-compact, a first according to analysts of the industry. In comparison, ten years ago when SUVs were at their peak selling period, only 1 in 8 vehicles could be characterized as a "small" car.

The sale of large SUVs and trucks has fallen sharply on gasoline selling nationally in excess of $3.60 per gallon for regular. This same factor caused four-cylinder engines to outsell six-cylinder units in April.

George Pipas, chief sales analyst for Ford is quoted in the article. "It's easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here," he said. The change in purchasing patterns is hitting American carmakers hard as they offer fewer of the highly sought after models like the Toyota Camry.

Accordingly, the sub-compact Toyota Yaris saw a sales jump of 46 percent during the month with the Honda Fit selling briskly as well. Ford's compact, the Focus, jumped 32 percent over April 2007 sales. Each of these cars is rated to return 30 mpg in highway driving.