| It's been a while since the sub-compact car | | | | fuel-efficient. The new Honda Fit for |
| market has garnered such attention in | | | | example, |
| | | | |
| North America. Our friends in Europe have | | | | gets an estimated 33 miles per gallon in the |
| always known the virtues of small cars. | | | | city, 38 mpg on the highway.But these are no |
| | | | one-show ponies. Beyond fuel efficiency they |
| But here in North America, SUV's have | | | | offer respectable |
| dominated parking lots at the local Pier 1 | | | | |
| for | | | | performance. The Toyota Yaris has 106 |
| | | | horsepower which may not sound like |
| more than a decade. However as current gas | | | | |
| prices inch forward and with future | | | | much, but tipping the scales at only 2315 |
| | | | lbs, it has a power-to-weight ratio close |
| prices looking uncertain (and by uncertain I | | | | |
| mean they're certainly going to be | | | | to that of the 220 horsepower Hummer H3. And |
| | | | these cars can carry just about |
| higher than today) more people are buying | | | | |
| small, fuel-efficient cars. We've seen a | | | | anything. With the rear seats up, the Honda |
| | | | Fit can swallow 21.3 cubic feet of gear. |
| lot of activity in the segment recently. | | | | |
| Toyota has introduced the Yaris, Hyundai has | | | | A Ford Crown Victoria by comparison can hold |
| | | | 20.6 cubic feet worth of cargo in the |
| significantly revised the Accent, Kia has | | | | |
| updated the Rio, Honda has just introduced | | | | trunk.The domestics haven't invested much in |
| | | | this class recently, if ever. The Chevrolet |
| the Fit, and Nissan will introduce the Versa | | | | |
| in May of this year. And let's not forget | | | | Aveo is essentially a re-badged Daewoo and |
| | | | doesn't offer the level of refinement as |
| Scion with the xA and xB.Having a car in the | | | | |
| sub-compact market makes sense for a variety | | | | the others. The Ford Focus is larger and |
| of reasons. First, | | | | more expensive, as is the new for '06 |
| | | | |
| it introduces new, young buyers to the | | | | Dodge Caliber. But with the uncertainty of |
| brand. If their experience is good they'll | | | | gas prices and growing competition in |
| stick | | | | |
| | | | the segment, GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler |
| with the brand as they grow up and move to a | | | | would be wise to offer competitive |
| larger vehicle. Toyota, Honda, | | | | |
| | | | offering in this segment and introduce first |
| Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Volkswagen, Mazda and | | | | time buyers to their respective brands. |
| others all got their start in the sub- | | | | |
| | | | For most manufacturers, having competitive |
| compact car market. Secondly, it provides a | | | | sub-compact cars has grown the |
| safety net during economic downturns. | | | | |
| | | | business and created brand loyalty, |
| If gas prices rise unexpectedly, the | | | | something the folks in Detroit have been |
| knee-jerk reaction is to get a small, more | | | | trying |
| fuel- | | | | |
| | | | to do for a while now. |
| efficient vehicle. And these cars are | | | | |