What's the Future of Small Cars in the U.S.?

[Thirty-Nine]

http://www.subcompactculture.com/201...ars-in-us.html

With lower gas prices, it seems like there hasn't been as much enthusiasm about small cars lately. No groundbreaking new cars, no no hot hatches (e.g. Fiesta ST, Abarth .. where's our turbo Yaris?). Maybe I've just had scope creep since I've been working on my Jeep a lot, but it just doesn't seem like there's been much small car buzz recently.

[IllusionX]

I read GM is struggling with small calls and lays off 2800

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[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

I read GM is struggling with small calls and lays off 2800

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More room for truck production, likely. FCA is doing the same thing. Heck, they're killing the Dart off.

[justanotherdrunk]

me me me/ entitled thinking ... so many people buying ridiculous/ giant/ expensive vehicles

cheap gas now ... it wont last

free money (low interest rates) ... it wont last

huge numbers of people living beyond their means ... the debtor lifestyle

what about the focus rs ... its pretty cool!

[bronsin]

1990 civic got 35 mpg.

What's a 2016 civic get? Bet it's not 35.

[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by bronsin

1990 civic got 35 mpg.

What's a 2016 civic get? Bet it's not 35.

31 cit, 42 highway, 35 combined.

Comparing a 1990 Civic and a 2017 Civic is hardly apples to apples. The only thing similar is the name.

Chevy Sprint got upwards of 50 mpg back in the day. It was also a deathtrap, uncomfortable, and tinny. However, it does prove two things:

- People would buy "poverty spec" cars back then.
- With fewer safety/comfort/performance amenities, you could get better fuel economy.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

Comparing a 1990 Civic and a 2017 Civic is hardly apples to apples. The only thing similar is the name.
.

Sure it is. The public wants big cars and the manufacturers oblige by making every model larger and larger with ever larger more powerful engines as time goes by. Burning more and more gas and costing us more and more to by our cars.

Crazy.

[scratchpaddy]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

Chevy Sprint got upwards of 50 mpg back in the day. It was also a deathtrap, uncomfortable, and tinny. However, it does prove two things:

- People would buy "poverty spec" cars back then.
- With fewer safety/comfort/performance amenities, you could get better fuel economy.

There's still an enthusiast community around the old Suzuki Swift (The Sprint, and Geo Metro that followed, were rebadged Swifts). A guy I know has a small collection, one turbo 3-cylinder and two twincam 1.3L 4-cylinders.



These cars only weighed 1600 pounds, and man, they can haul. This guy drives around with this sticker in his back window, and this is in Arizona. He's got guts.



Yes, big trucks have the mass advantage in a crash, but we've come a long way from the tin cans of the previous century. Even Smart Cars take huge impacts amazingly well.

If I needed a lot of space, I'd wish for a wagon, but buy a minivan because no one sells wagons in this country. Contrary to apparently everyone, I feel less secure when sitting up high on the road. I like it down low.

[Hershey]

People are going with 6 year loans to get lower monthly payments to get large vehicles . Meanwhile the book value goes down and end up upside down when time to trade , making for a larger loan for next vehicle . Remember when owners of large vehicles were setting them on fire to get out of the loan . Amazing how consumers have short memories .

[kevinj93]

Looks like we're starting to go the same way here in Australia.

For the last three years, the top selling vehicle here was the Corolla, but it looks like it's about to loose that spot to the Toyota Hilux.with the Ford Ranger in second place.

[tmontague]

Big cars to fuel big egos, its no surprised with our consumer driven never ending desire type society.

Eventually it will level out, people living well beyond their means is the new norm and many don't like being told that is what they are exactly doing

[IllusionX]

Well, I'm looking into a large SUV (7 seater) as a next vehicle. It's either that, or a mini van. We refuse to drive a mini van.

Maybe when the kids are a little older, gonna opt for a large sedan.

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[tmontague]

Our "mini van" was the Vibe we bought, also didn't want a mini van and the Vibe is surprisingly spacious. Next "big" vehicle will be a Subie outback

[IllusionX]

Originally Posted by tmontague

Our "mini van" was the Vibe we bought, also didn't want a mini van and the Vibe is surprisingly spacious. Next "big" vehicle will be a Subie outback

That wouldn't work with 3 young kids. I need something that can fit 3 car seats.

A Mazda 5 is doing the job (for now), but we really need more storage space. I have just enough to put the stroller now.

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[tmontague]

No kidding, you'd need a pretty big vehicle for 3 car seats

[hhcchen]

there are recent news about the new Nissan micra and Honda wr-v... if you count them as groundbreaking new cars...
oh, and Toyota c-hr...

[tarkus]

Originally Posted by tmontague

Next "big" vehicle will be a Subie outback

I'm not hearing or seeing good things with Subie reliability. I would have thought you would be happier saying with a Toyota, like maybe the Rav4?

My 'big' family car is a 2006 Camry. It has over 250,000 km on it and runs flawlessly, not even using any oil. You could also easily fit three child seats in the back if you wanted.

Originally Posted by hhcchen

there are recent news about the new Nissan micra and Honda wr-v...

The Micra has been around many years in Europe, and this one in North America looks pretty much the same as the one in Europe. Reviews say that it's noisy at highway speed.


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[joell]

Reading something about small cars: "Small cars help automakers meet corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE), thus allowing them to sell more highly profitable, but less fuel efficient large cars."
So, manufacturers will still build or import small cars, even if the margins of profit are slim or sell at loss.
Small cars made for the US market are more equipped (especially in safety) than the ones sold here in my country and more cheap. Economic conditions and the roads are different too, but they need to profit so they will build what people buys. : (