The Ford ZD Escape

London, June 21: Ford has signalled the decline of the gas guzzler by cutting back on its production of SUVs in favour of smaller, more energy-efficient cars.

With record high petrol prices hitting motorists in their wallets, customers have apparently decided that small is beautiful and are selecting only the most diminutive models available from car showrooms. “We view the move to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles as permanent and we are responding to customer demand,” said Ford’s chief executive Alan Mulally.

The company — America’s largest auto maker — has consequently delayed its plans to introduce a new pick-up truck and will make 90,000 fewer pick ups and SUVs in the second half of the year than it originally planned.

It is also gearing up its production lines to manufacture more small cars such as the Ford Focus, the Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner.

Its announcement follows a decision last month by General Motors to close four plants in North America that make SUVs and other big vehicles.

The consumer trend was confirmed by the latest statistics for American car sales. Manufacturers of big cars, such as Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, suffered from a sharp fall in sales in May.

By contrast, customers flocked to little-car makers Honda and Nissan. Ford’s F-150 pick-up truck, the best-selling vehicle in the US for 26 consecutive years, is now likely to lose its sales crown to a modest Japanese vehicle — the Honda Civic.