Dodge Hornet competition at all for Yaris?

[Ziv]

I think the Caliber would be more of a competitor if you look at it in the market point of view. it's cheap, it's got a bigger engine, it doesn't look too lego-ee. Caliber is not so bad. only problem is an american car.

[Yaris Revenge]

Originally Posted by echo_hrs

I hate Chrysler's styling, every single car looks like a truck with that blunt front end...It's bland and uninspired...I'm also sick of the domestics and their throwback retro-themed cars...Can't they commit to anything remotely innovative or original?

I can definitely see your point. What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander, and the hen, and the rooster, and the duck....

I personally like the redesigned retro cars. I think the problem they've run into is this: modern car designs have gone just about as far as they can go without taking a major step forward. There's still a big gap between what's popular now and the concept cars that keep popping up in the shows, and though many of us would love to get our hands on a production version of those concepts, there are still a ton of old timers out there that think a car should look like a "car". So, since a large portion of the market doesn't want to move forward, the only way to go is back.

Also, every car brand looks practically the same nowadays. By going back to their roots (when each brand had a truly distinct look and cars had artistic personality), the American manufacturers can try once again to distinguish themselves from their foreign competitors (who are quite thoroughly kicking their marketshare arses right now).

What amazes me is how popular the new muscle cars are despite the increase in gas prices. They can moan about "poor economy" all they want, but the 15 new Mustangs and 4 new Chargers I pass every day don't seem to agree with the anaylists.

~YR

[echo_hrs]

Originally Posted by why?

This doesn't look like a truck to me.

Yes, indeed, I guess the one place the american car companies are designing anything original is in the low-volume "halo" cars, that most mainstream people will either not buy because of practical reasons, or not be able to afford...

I guess at Chrysler people will come in wanting a Crossfire and then buy a Caliber...
At Pontiac they'll come in wanting a Solstice and buy a Wave...
At Ford they'll come in for a GT and buy a Freestyle...

LOL

[why?]

The problem with car design now is there are too many regulations and laws that their is very little designing left to do.

[plushDJ]

I hate that new camaro, blech!!!! The Charger and Mustang kick some ass though

[why?]

The new Mustang looks great. I'd be tempted to get it as a toy.

[Goose]

The Hornet looks a bit "over-styled" to me. One of the appealing aspects of the Yaris is the cleanliness of its design. Although the Hornet has loads of design features, I've found (at least for me) that this can prove tiresome over the long term. I get the same reaction to the MINI, which can seem pretty busy; lots of different textures, colors and materials inside and out.

The tuners will have fun with this car, since it looks like Dodge took the MINI drivetrain and just dropped it in. There are plenty of firms offering go-fast stuff for the supercharged MINI four-banger.

This is not an attempt to be argumentative, just adding to the conversation.