RIO DE JANEIRO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- An increasingly number of Brazilians are choosing to buy vehicles that use both gas and ethanol as fuel, with the so-called bi-fuel cars accounting for 76.3 percent of the total sold in the country in the first half of this year.

    Brazilians bought 622,200 bi-fuel cars in the first six months, an increase of 133 percent over a year earlier, the National Association of Automotive Vehicles Manufacturers (Anfavea) said Thursday, citing a recent survey.

    The market share went up to 77.1 percent in June alone, prompting analysts to be upbeat about further expansion.

    Bi-fuel cars are increasingly popular because they allow consumers to shift from one fuel to another according to prices. They can even choose to fill the tank with a mixture of gas and ethanol, according to Anfavea.

    Manufactures launched bi-fuel cars in Brazil in 2003 as an alternative to those that exclusively use gas or ethanol.

    Ethanol, which is produced from sugar cane, has been largely used in the country since the oil crisis in the 1970s, as it is much cheaper than gas. Enditem