The decline in the auto motive industry began with the oil crisis of 1973—1994, when gasoline prices rose over 300 percent. Almost immediately, consumers began switching to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, which were the strengths of the major auto importers. This shift in demand from large to smaller cars did not reverse itself later in the 1970s, and the foreign importers continued to gain market share. Detroit's efforts to produce competitive small cars were limited by its continuing expectation that large-car demand would soon resume. So only slowly did the domestic industry put its resources into small-car production, resulting in inadequate supply as well as inadequate concern for quality and performance. During this period, consumers discovered that similarly priced imports generally offered better performance and fewer problems than US-produced cars.
According to a recently-made study named Some Estimates for Major Automotive Producers, even GM, the most cost-efficient US producer averages close to $900 more per car than the least cost-efficient Japanese producer, Toyota.
Notice the single most important factor in Japanese competitiveness is not government subsidies(津贴) or a policy of "dumping" cars in the US market. Rather, it is labor cost. This difference of almost $2,000 per car favors the Japanese producers so strongly that all other comparisons virtually can be ignored.
When did customers begin to prefer smaller cars？

A. In the early 1970s.
B. In the late 1970s.
C. From1973 to 1994.
D. In 1994.