Talk back: Most people ready for small-engine cars

Sky-high gasoline prices are fostering demand for gas-saving small-engine cars.

Cars with an engine capacity of less than 1.6 liters are gaining a greater market share in China. More than 3.8 million sedans were sold in China last year. Roughly 63 percent had engine capacity under 1.6 liters. In 2004 and 2005, small-engine cars took a market share of more than 50 percent.

The oil-thirsty country has levied a car sales tax and raised the rate for large-engine cars. China has become the world's second largest oil consumer after the United States, with the automobile sector accounting for one-third of the country's oil use.