The two-stroke engine was popular throughout most of the 20th century in motorcycles, small engined devices such as chainsaws and outboard motors and some cars. This was due to their simple design (and resulting low cost) and higher power-to-weight ratios. Most designs used total-loss lubrication, with the oil being burnt in the combustion chamber, causing visible and other pollution. This is the major reason for two-stroke engines being replaced with four-stroke engines in most applications. Two-stroke engines are commonly used in high-power, handheld applications such as string trimmers and chainsaws. The light overall weight, and light-weight spinning parts give important operational and even safety advantages. Only a two-stroke running on a gasoline-oil mixture can power a chainsaw running in any position.
To a lesser extent, these engines may still be used for small, portable, or specialized machine applications such as outboard motors, high-performance, small-capacity motorcycles, mopeds, underbones, scooters, tuk-tuks, snowmobiles, karts, ultralights, model airplanes (and other model vehicles) and lawnmowers. The two-stroke cycle is used in many diesel engines, most notably large industrial and marine engines, as well as some trucks and heavy machinery.
A number of mainstream automobile manufacturers have used two-stroke engines in the past, including the Swedish Saab and German manufacturers DKW and Auto-Union. The Japanese manufacturer Suzuki did the same in the 1970s. Production of two-stroke cars ended in the 1980s in the West, but Eastern Bloc countries continued until around 1991, with the Trabant and Wartburg in East Germany and Syrena[citation needed] in Poland. Lotus of Norfolk, UK, has a prototype direct-injection two-stroke engine intended for alcohol fuels called the Omnivore.