EVERY time Wan Qiang climbs out of his small-engine (1.1-litre) Citroen Freeman, he frowns. After all, he's usually standing in the midst of a bunch of larger, more expensive BMWs and Volkswagens. 

    "Whenever I'm in such a situation, I feel embarrassed and think that my company's image will be ruined," Wan said. 

    Wan, 29, started his own city planning and design company half a year ago after graduating from Tsinghua University. As his business expanded, he bought the used Fukang from his elder sister for only 30,000 yuan. 

    "Although the small car gives me no dignity at all, it does give me convenience," he said. 

    In fact, smaller cars are beginning to take a larger share of the market in China. According to the country's Automobile Manufacturers Association, nearly 1.14 million small-engine (less than 1.6 litres) cars were sold in the first half of 2006. They accounted for 63 per cent of all automobile sales in China. 

    According to Xinhua News Agency, small-engine cars grew from 10 per cent of total auto sales in Beijing in 2000 to 30 per cent in 2005. Some of the hottest were the Cherry QQ6 and Greatwall COOLBEAR. 

    There are several factors for the growing popularity of small cars. 

    In January, the Chinese Government asked local governments to do away with policies that discouraged people from buying small-engine cars. They use less fuel than larger automobiles, the government argued. 

    Other people have more practical reasons. For example, Wang Yang, 26, who bought her small car because it was the only one she could afford. 

    "Not only is the car cheap, but the parking and maintenance costs are much less than those of bigger cars." 

    Small-engine cars also require less room on the highway. After all, road construction has struggled to keep up with the estimated 20 per cent yearly growth of new automobiles, according to an October 30 Xinhua report. 

    Like Wan Qiang, however, some people find that small cars are not as satisfying as full-size automobiles. 

    Ge Fengtao, 48, bought a 0.8-litre compact car in 2004. But after only a year, he decided to change to a bigger one. 

    "I didn't like the small car's speed," said Ge. When he was going more than 80 kph on the highway, Ge complained, the car began to slide and the brakes seemed not to work properly. 

    "I felt that my life was threatened and finally could no longer bear it," he said. 

    According to a 2005 survey from the China Association for Quality, about 40 per cent of consumers who had small cars costing less than 50,000 yuan were not satisfied with the quality. 

    Ge, who is an engineer for a Chinese auto company's manufacturing department, said that many of the small-engine cars lack quality. "All their accessories are cheap so [production] cost is low and the manufacturer's profit is guaranteed." 

    Chen Quanshi, a professor at Tsinghua University's Key Automotive Safety and Energy Lab, agreed: "[Pollution] emissions regulations don't reflect a car's safety, quality and technology." 

    He explained that some manufacturers sacrifice quality and performance to create a small car that meets emission controls. 

    "This makes people think that small cars are all low-end item," he said. 

    As for Wan, he wants a bigger automobile. "Every time the green light comes on at an intersection, I feel ashamed to see cars around me rushing ahead while I'm still busy getting my engine started." 

    每次，王強從他小引擎排量（1.1升）的雪鐵龍Freeman中下來的時候，他都會皺眉頭。畢竟，他停車時，周圍都是大而昂貴的寶馬和大眾。 

    王說：“只要我處于這種處境之中，我都會感到尷尬。覺得有損公司形象。” 

    王現年29歲，一年半以前畢業于清華大學，著手開創關于城市規劃與設計的公司。當他的業務擴大后，他以3萬人民幣從她姐姐手里買了一部二手富康。 

    他說：“雖然這輛小車沒有給我帶來尊嚴，但是它確實給我提供了方便。” 

    事實上，小型車開始在中國市場上占有較大比例。中國汽車制造商協會透露，2006年上半年小引擎排量（不足1.6升）的轎車出售了將近114萬輛，占總銷售量的63％。 

    據新華社報道，北京小排量車的銷售量從2000年的10％上升到2005年的30％。銷售最熱的是奇瑞QQ6和長城COOLBEAR. 

    小車逐漸受到大眾歡迎的因素是多方面的。 

    在一月份，中國政府要求地方政府采取措施鼓勵購買小排量車。因為與大排量車相比較，它們很省油。 

    其它人的理由更實際一些。比如26歲的王洋，她買小車，是因為這是她唯一負擔的起的。 

    “小車在售價，停車費和維修費方面都比大車便宜的多。” 

    小型車在高速公路上占的空間也很小。新華社10月30號的報道稱，道路建設正努力與每年20％的機動車增長率保持平衡。 

    然而與王強一樣，很多人都發現小型車沒有大型車那樣能令人滿足。 

    48歲的葛峰濤在2004年買了一輛0.8升的微型轎車。但是僅僅過了一年，他就決定換一個大點的車。 

    葛說：“我不喜歡它的速度。”他抱怨說，在高速公路上，當他以每小時80多公里的速度行駛時，車就開始打滑，剎車也似乎不太靈了。 

    他說：“我感到生命受到了威脅，最終無法忍受。” 

    2005年中國質量協會的一份調查顯示，在購買4萬多元的小車的客戶中，有40％的人都不滿意車的質量。 

    葛是一家中國汽車公司生產部的工程師，他說，很多小排量的車的質量都不過關。“車的所有附件都很廉價，所以生產成本低，生產商的利益才能得到保證。” 

    清華大學汽車安全與節能重點實驗室的教授陳全實同意此看法，他說：“污染排放管制不反映車的質量，技術和安全性。” 

    他解釋說，一些生產商犧牲質量和性能以生產出符合排放控制的小型車。 

    他說：“這使人們覺得小車都是低端項目。” 

    王說他想買一輛大型轎車。“每當交叉口的綠燈亮起，看著周圍的車都已經飛馳而去，而我還在忙著發動引擎，我就羞愧難當。”