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Appeal of smaller cars grows

You've seen them on Canadian streets for years in ever-growing numbers -- compact cars like the Honda Civic and Mazda3, subcompacts like the Toyota Echo hatchback, and baby-SUVs like Ford's Escape. Now the newest of those mite-sized vehicles are the majority.

For the first time since car dealers opened for business in Canada, more than half of all retail buyers bought a small, fuel efficient vehicle last year, new research shows.

The data, compiled by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, suggests most Canadians are already making the kind of auto-buying choices that will reduce their footprint on the environment. And it means that if the federal and provincial governments really want to make a difference to reduce vehicle emissions, they should focus on getting older beaters off the road instead of targeting new cars and trucks, the consultancy says.