New Small Cars Coming to U.S. Market

The Detroit Free Press reports, "Small cars with big implications for General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are to debut Tuesday at Europe's first major auto show of the year in Switzerland."  Ford's new Fiesta subcompact will "go on sale in Europe this spring," and reach North America in 2010.  GM "plans to provide a glimpse of the long-awaited compact model coming from Saab, its Swedish brand."  The Saab 9-1x may "continue Saab's recent tradition of promoting biofuels for its powerful and efficient turbocharged engines, this time linked to a new hybrid electric system."  Toyota plans to reveal two small cars.  They include an iQ subcompact that "uses the same underpinnings as the Scion xD," and a small SUV known as the Urban Cruiser.  In a separate article, the Detroit Free Press notes that Toyota is "seeking consumer reaction to its A-BAT hybrid pickup concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January to help decide whether to put the quirky vehicle into production."  The A-BAT is a very small pickup truck which "uses a four-cylinder gasoline engine and the same battery system as the Prius to increase fuel economy. It uses dashboard-mounted solar panels to generate electricity." 

The Detroit News adds, "General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have made cool, smartly equipped little cars such as GM's Opel Tigra and the Ford Ka for Europeans for years, but Detroit executives were reluctant to offer them at home."  However, "that's starting to change."  The surge in the popularity of small cars is due largely to high gas prices.  "In 2007, subcompact sales rose 20 percent in the United States to around 350,000 cars."  Traditionally, Asian brands dominate that market with vehicles like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit.  "Attitudes shifted in 2002, however, after BMW brought a flat-topped Mini to the U.S. that turned out to be a hit."  Now, the BBC notes, "Reduced-size vehicles that promise to make smaller carbon footprints will be prominent at this week's Geneva motor show."  New small models will include several "small soft-tops...with Audi showing an A3 convertible that will compete with the BMW 1-series convertible unveiled in Detroit in January."

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