click above for a high res gallery of the Toyota iQ

In a move which sheds some light on just how important the Italian market is for small cars, Toyota has begun a new guerrilla marketing campaign for its upcoming iQ minicar. Using magnets stuck to the sides of parked cars along with leaflets hanging off the side-view mirrors, Toyota is highlighting just how small the new car will be. Coming in at just 2980mm long (that's less than ten feet), the iQ will be the shortest car on the market in Europe which has more than two seats. For perspective, the smart ForTwo is less than a foot shorter, and it can only seat two.

Toyota is aware that its new marketing strategy could damage its green credentials, so it is using recycled paper for all the paper materials. The same crew which was hired to place the magnets on the cars will back around afterwards to retrieve any materials which were left littering the ground. The campaign is scheduled to end in early August and the car should go on sale in Europe in the beginning of next year.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for more live shots of the Chevy Beat concept

We called the apparent decision by the General to bring the Beat to the U.S. a "no brainer". Unfortunately, that premature news wasn't quite based in fact, as the cool little mini-car will not be coming to American shores. Too bad, 'cause our commeners definitely agreed that the Beat would fit perfectly into Chevrolet's American lineup now that gas prices have risen to the point that they are significantly impacting the new car buying decisions by much of the U.S. population. It seems that fuel's meteoric rise didn't come soon enough for GM to engineer the Beat to meet U.S. safety or crash standards.

We have hopes that the next-generation of GM's minicar will be engineered with the U.S. market in mind. Raging successes like the Mini Cooper and, so far at least, the smart brand, have shown that a premium small car with an emphasis on fuel mileage and distinctive styling can do well, even with our exceedingly fickle buying public.


[Source: GM via Autoblog]

No, it's not up! Say hello to iQ, Toyota's new minicar concept. Autoblog has pictures of the car at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Toyota won't say if it's gas or electric but it is small. Well, "small yet spacious" is what Toyota is going for here. To save space, they have a removable seat, lots of controls are on the steering wheel, etc. Toyota plans to release a small car in 2009 and it may look just like the iQ.

[Source: Motor Authority]

BMW could attack the new EU carbon dioxide emissions limits by adding a tiny BMW-branded car to the lineup. The new model would likely share a platform with the British-built icon but be even smaller and wear the roundel badge and twin grille.

Such a car would help reduce BMWs fleet CO2 average but would also let the Bavarians compete more directly with the upcoming Audi A1 that's coming in 2009. If the car is built, it would be the first front-wheel drive car from the brand. MotorAuthority has a rendering of what such a car might look like based on cues from the recent CS concept.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

Once again, it bears repeating that the Smart FourTwo is not even close to being the first of its kind. Itsy-bitsy cars have been around since the car was invented, and here is further proof of that. What you are looking at is a Goggomobil Shopper. According to Winding Road, the car was "developed by Hans Glas in the Bavarian town of Dingolfling". Although this model of Goggomobil is quite boxy, check out some of their other cars. They had a mini pickup, an awesome convertible and a van too. According to the auction listing, parts are pretty easy to find, and this example seems to be in pretty darn good shape. Go Go Gadget Shopper!

I don't imagine that you'll be heading out on the highway with the 300cc engine and four-speed manual with floor shifter, but for a city car, this design might prove adequate. Rust might not be too much of a worry with the plasticized sheetmetal body. Pretty cool stuff from back in the sixties. What goes around, comes around!

[Source: eBay via Winding Road]

Have you been wondering what all has been changed on the Smart Fourtwo from the first generation to the second? Have you wanted to see the two vehicles side-by-side to judge those changes yourself? Well then, good news! Here are some photos that I found at The Scooter Scoop which show the car in various angles, interior and exterior. Steve from The Scooter Scoop seems to like the older one a bit better, but I would have to disagree myself. I think that the changes to the car are mostly positive, but I would like to see some other engine options. A diesel option would be numero uno on my own list of "wants". Check here for other stories about the brand.

So, what do you think of the changes? Were they moves in the right direction for the brand? Would the car have been more or less successful here in the States without being changed? I know that some of the changes were made to make it easier for the vehicle to comply with U.S. safety standards and consumer requirements. What other changes would you like to see?

[Source: The Scooter Scoop]

Click on the photo for a high-res image of the Chevy Trax concept

Next week at the New York Auto Show, General Motors will be unveiling a trio of mini-car concepts, the first of which you can see right here. The Chevrolet Trax is a four door motivated by a 1.0L gas engine with a two-tone paint-scheme reminiscent of the original Honda CR-V Element. The fenders and bumpers are done with a matte finish, while the rest painted in Blaze Orange. All of the concepts were created by the GM Daewoo studio in South Korea.

The cars sit on top of the global mini vehicle platform that will form the basis of replacements for the Opel Corsa, and other GM small cars and will eventually be available in the US market. After the unveiling, people will have the opportunity to vote for which they think is the best design at www.vote4chevrolet.com. The press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Kyodo News in Japan reports that Suzuki plans to introduce new hybrid models in their largest markets as soon as possible, Suzuki president Hiroshi Tsuda said on Friday. The article suggests that Suzuki will get their hybrid technology from General Motors, which owns part of Suzuki. This makes sense, as Suzuki shares platforms with the Chevy Equinox and its GM siblings from Saturn and Pontiac. GM is set to become a major player in hybrid vehicles, and is sharing their technology with DaimlerChrysler, BMW and others... now including Suzuki.

Suzuki is no stranger to fuel efficient vehicles, being the largest maker of minicars in Japan, which use engines which are no larger than 660ccs. Suzuki is one of the largest motorcycle makers in the world as well, which puts them in a good position to design and manufacture small but relatively powerful engines.

[Source: Japan Times]

Mitsubishi has apparently been testing their new "i" car in Los Angeles but if they do decide to bring the Smart-like fouriseater to the US Market, it won't be for several years yet. Like most small Japanese cars, the current generation of the "i" is only engineered for right-hand drive. Converting a design to move the steering wheel from one side to the other is not a trivial matter and doing it on a car as small as the "i" is even harder. It appears that Mitsubishi may also be planning to make the car somewhat wider for the US market as well. The "i" is already on sale in several markets where they drive on the left hand side of the road (Singapore and Hong Kong with New Zealand coming soon), but it looks like we will have to wait four or five years.

[Source: Automotive News - subscription required]

On yesterday's On Point, the NPR radio show, the topic was small. Tiny, actually. Tiny cars. These vehicles - cars like the SMART, the Renault Twingo, or the Ford Ka - are gaining interest here as gas prices rise. On Point featured five voices of those in the know, including Rick Woodbury, the inventor of the Tango, an ultra-slim electric commuter car and Ryan Chin, MIT Media Lab's Smart Cities Project, who contributed to the design of the stackable concept car (pictured). While the quotes NPR has up on their website seem to make the guests pro-small car, AutoblogGreen reader Mark Sumner say he heard it differently. "As so often seems to happen, callers were enthusiastic about the vehicles and asking when they could get them, while industry 'insiders' in the studio kept saying they wouldn't sell in the US," he wrote us. I haven't taken the time to listen to the show (but anyone can do so here), so I can't say how the panel leaned, but c'mon, a stackable car? How can you be against that?

[Source: NPR, thanks to Mark Sumner]