The Ford F-150 is the best-selling model in the country, and that seems to be true no matter what the economic conditions are. Even with gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, one thing remains true: Americans love their pickup trucks.

Still, the F-150 isn't completely immune to shifts in the market, as recently demonstrated by the May sales totals. Ford reported that "for the first time in decades," the V6 engine option on the F-150 outsold the V8, USA Today reports.

One might assume that drivers were simply trying to save money – but that's not entirely true. The most popular V6 engine was actually the turbocharged EcoBoost, which is $2,000 more expensive than the base V6. However, the EcoBoost has the highest fuel economy of any engine Ford offers on the vehicle, something that buyer's have been going for lately. The EcoBoost also has higher horsepower and torque than the base V6, which justifies the cost to many buyers.

"That's a premium engine that almost always comes with premium content," Ford VP of sales Ken Czubay told the news source.

The V8 isn't going anywhere soon – it still made up 45 percent of all sales. But at least for May, it appears that the V6 was king.

Drivers looking for a vehicle with excellent fuel economy may want to consider New Jersey State Auto Auction, which offers both new and used cars for sale.

Automakers are pulling out all the stops in an effort to raise fuel economy, but Ford may be taking the most drastic step yet – introducing a three-cylinder engine.

Ford isn't the first automaker to offer a three-cylinder engine – they were last seen on Suzuki Swifts and Chevrolet Metros in the 1990s. However, the planned reintroduction of the engine in the U.S., likely set for next year, will come as a shock to many, as most accepted that an automaker wouldn't go lower then four cylinders in a mass production vehicle again.

The three cylinders will allow Ford to achieve a higher MPG rating. In fact, it may allow the automaker to get 50 miles per gallon – unheard of for a gas-powered car.

"Consumers are telling us they want to buy affordable vehicles that get many more miles per gallon," said Derrick Kuzak, global product development chief. "Our new 1-liter EcoBoost engine will give consumers looking for hybrid-like fuel economy a new, more affordable choice."

Ford has been mum with the details, but it's likely that the compact Fiesta will be the recipient of the smaller engine.

Drivers interested in a high-MPG vehicle may want to consider New Jersey State Auto Auction, which offers a wide range of cars for sale at affordable prices.
 

Ford recently took to the streets of San Francisco to demonstrate new "smart cars" that can send information to each other.

The new safety improvement works by utilizing GPS and wireless technology to constantly send updates between vehicles about the location of cars. The feature only works in a limited range, but it could prove useful in preventing accidents.

Ford is just one of many automakers working on the project, which includes General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Audi, Mercedes, Hyundai and more. They say it will be at least five years before the feature is available on mass-produced vehicles. However, the cooperation between automakers is a good sign early on.

"Next year, we're doing a model deployment in a city where there will be thousands of equipped vehicles and trucks and buses all sending out these messages, and then the goal in 2013 is to start a regulation that will require this on all vehicles," Ford technical director Mike Shulman told PC Magazine. "Then, maybe consumer electronics companies would start designing products that could be retrofitted onto existing cars, because everyone sees the potential."

The technology is still years away, so in the meantime drivers might want to consider buying a used car from New Jersey State Auto Auction. Whether it's a used Ford or any other vehicle, there are a wide range of cars for sale at affordable prices.