A lot is lost in the transition from a Hummer to a smart. We tend to focus on the benefits: the lost fuel bills and reduced vehicular emissions, and that's not going to change any time soon, we being AutoblogGreen and all. Some people, though, are finding that they miss their larger fuel-guzzlers more than they had initially expected. It's easy to hate a car when pulling up to the gas pump and dumping a hundred bucks or more into the tank every week, and it's also likely pretty easy to forget that act a few months after it's gone. It's also tough to get used to a small car after driving a huge SUV or pickup truck for years.

An article from The Wall Street Journal highlights the challenges that some drivers are facing when downsizing their vehicles. We're not too surprised that somebody isn't loving their Chevy Aveo. Losing out on cargo space downsizing from a Suburban to a Pacifica is also a given. For those who occasionally need the passenger or luggage space, though, may we suggest a rental minivan?

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Even though gasoline prices are down to almost $2 per gallon around here as election day approaches, Ford CEO Alan Mulally apparently doesn't think the current situation will last. Mulally told Automotive News that the Dearborn automaker is staying the course on its plan to introduce a half dozen new smaller vehicles in the U.S. market in the next couple of years. The respite in fuel prices may give Ford some breathing space on the launch of its new F-150 pickup truck. Last week the company announced it would bring back 1,000 workers at its Dearborn truck plant. However, the company has not changed plans to close and/or retool several truck plants over the next 18 months to build smaller cars.

Mulally also told the interviewer that the company is still considering bringing the Ka to the U.S. market and will be watching demand for smaller cars. The challenge for Ford and other automakers is offering small cars like the Ka and Fiesta at a profitable price point. That's even more of an issue with the current economic conditions. Prior to the recent financial collapse, it was hoped that they could offer small cars with the levels of equipment offered in bigger cars and thus command a high enough price to make money. That may prove to be more difficult now as Mulally acknowledged that we could see U.S. car sales dip to as low as 11-12 million annually next year compared to a high a few years ago of 17 million. You can check out video of the AN chat with Mulally here.

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

If your goal is to do nothing more than cutting down your petroleum usage for either political or environmental reasons, a small car or hybrid seems to be the way to go. If your desire is solely to save money, there are many more costs to factor into your decision. One of them is insurance, as a recent study suggests that small cars and hybrids are considerably more expensive to insure on average than their larger and hungrier siblings. For instance, all other things being equal, a Honda CR-V is less expensive to insure than a Honda Civic by an average of $412 per year. Another? The Toyota Camry hybrid will cost you $650 more than its non-hybrid counterpart. Some reasons why the numbers are what they are include higher repair costs and the fact that compact cars are sometimes stolen more often than larger cars and SUVs. We should add that shopping around can prove valuable, as some insurers actually provide discounts for fuel-savers.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Worried that the trend towards smaller cars in the United States is going to result in more injuries? It's a rational concern, especially for those who are used to driving in full-size cars, trucks and SUVs and are normally surrounded by two or more tons of metal. But, light weight does not necessarily mean that a car isn't safe. Proving this once again is Nick Chambers, a blogger for Gas 2.0 who inadvertently crashed his little Toyota Yaris into a dirt embankment and rolled it three times. Judging from the pictures, this was a pretty extreme crash, but Chambers walked away with only minor injuries.

Small cars must be engineered properly to retain their safety credentials, but it's not impossible. Remember that all cars go through the same safety testing, regardless of their size. Crumple zones, airbags (you might want to make sure your Yaris has them), anti-lock brakes, stability control and the like all do their jobs and are standard on nearly every car sold in the States. Plus, as many drivers make the switch from big to small in the name of economy, the chances of meeting a nearly immovable object on the highway will only be reduced. Of course, we wouldn't recommend trying it for yourself or anything.

[Source: gas2.0 via Instapundit]

The General, along with the rest of the American automakers, has a long established history of making the most profits from the largest vehicles. Small cars from the Detroit 3 have therefore fallen way behind the imports when it comes to desirability. GM Global Design Chief Ed Welburn went so far as to say, "In North America, we never did a good small car." Ouch. Instead, all the best designs come from overseas, which GM has plenty of experience in. "Today, we are able to draw on resources of design centers in Korea, Brazil and Europe who really know how to do small cars," says Welburn. Like the ones who designed the Aveo?

So, if the Cobalt and Aveo are not good small cars, at least they'd better be cheap, right? Sure, but expect that to change too as upcoming replacements for its aging small cars will be more expensive than current models. The Chevrolet Cruze, not expected in the U.S. for at least a few more years, will cost an extra few thousand dollars compared to the Cobalt. Hopefully by then, the Beat will be properly engineered for the American market as well.

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

click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 MINI Cooper Clubman

Does good fuel mileage necessarily equal poor performance? Must low emission regulations put an end to driving enjoyment? No, of course not. The days of fuel-sipping penalty boxes are long gone, as even today's crop of hybrid vehicles can be fun to drive if you just love the act of eking every mile out of each drop of fuel. But, what about real options for the enthusiast who would rather sacrifice a few miles per gallon in the name of driving fun? AutoWeek put together a list of four cylinder vehicles which return decent fuel mileage numbers and can be bought for a reasonable sum.

The top few picks from the weekly mag aren't going to win any mpg awards, but nobody is going to argue with the performance credentials of the Subaru WRX STi, Mitsubishi Evolution, Mazdaspeed 3 or Caliber SRT-4. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS manages to attain EPA figures of 22 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Its 2.0 liter turbocharged Ecotec engine is a sweetheart, too. Moving down the list, we see the Mini Cooper return even better figures at 28 city and 37 highway. We've driven the Cooper and the Clubman, and you can bet they are fun to drive. Click here to read the full list of fun, frugal four-bangers.

[Source: AutoWeek]

click the Toyota iQ for high res gallery

With the rather healthy sales numbers currently being posted by the smart fortwo in the U.S., Toyota seems very excited about the prospect of offering its iQ here. Still, the tiny car will be launched first in Japan, followed by Europe at the beginning of next year. High gas prices seem likely to sway Toyota to consider the diminutive machine for America, though. According to chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota's iQ could be a bit higher than smart's, as the Japanese model will feature two extra seats and should post better fuel economy numbers. Like the smart, though, it will be priced more in line with the current crop of small cars and is not meant to undercut them in price. Instead, the iQ is to offer a premium driving experience.

In Europe, the iQ will be offered with a 1.4 liter diesel engine. If the model ever makes it over here, count on either the 1.0 or 1.3 liter gasoline engine underhood. If that does indeed happen, will we ever get tired of making ridiculous puns about the iQ and smart names? Nah.


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

As we reported the other day, Chrysler is working as hard as possible to get its gas-guzzling fleet more in line with consumer desires. These days, that means fuel efficiency, so it comes as little surprise that Dodge is renewing its efforts to get the Hornet small car up and running. Up until this point, it had been assumed that the Chrysler joint venture with Chinese automaker Chery would produce the Hornet, but it seems that the Chinese company may not be quite ready for prime time. Instead, Chrysler's recent tie-up with Nissan is now expected to result in the new Dodge vehicle.

Chrysler still has plans to introduce a budget line of vehicles with its Chinese counterpart. Dodge's upcoming Hornet, though, will not be an entry level model at all. The Hornet is expected to compete with upper level small cars such as the Mini, which has seen excellent sales as of late due to its fuel efficiency.

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

The topic of cheap cars has come up on our pages before, and John McElroy has shared his thoughts on the topic over at Autoblog. It looks like John will be contributing over at our sister site on a somewhat regular basis, this is his first posting. McElroy is the host of Autoline Detroit which you may have seen on Speed TV or public television (make sure to watch it tomorrow). On the topic of inexpensive cars, John brings up the Dacia Logan, which is now part of Renault's stable. This car is just about the cheapest set of (four) wheels you can get in Europe, and McElroy highlights the fact that the car is selling rather well. This is causing the other manufacturers to look into offering similar vehicles in their own lineups.

The next point brought up is the possibility of even cheaper cars from companies like Tata from India. As McElroy points out, this type of vehicle is unlikely in the U.S. due to the fact that the emissions equipment alone on cars sold here might cost as much as the vehicles themselves in other area. Additionally, safety standards would likely impede inexpensive cars from making inroads on American roads.

Although the idea of an inexpensive new car that even low-income households could afford is certainly one with merit, if the vehicle is not capable of being safe and clean, it probably should not be sold. The argument could be made though that if the new car, even if not up to snuff with other new cars were cleaner than a five-year-old used car it could still be an eco-benefit. Sounds like a very fine line that would need to be walked, but if companies like Continental or Borg-Warner help with cheaper emissions and safety equipment, who knows what may come of it.

[Source: John McElroy / Autoblog]

Small cars are not as safe as big cars in a crash. It's basic physics: If you put tons of metal around you, of course it's going to take the brunt of a crash. The engineers at XP Vehicles just might change that with their new small car, the Whisper. They say the Whisper "is the safest car ever designed for drivers, passengers and pedestrians." The Whisper achieves this level of safety because it's inflatable.

The inspiration for the Whisper design came from the Mars rover landing system. The car will cost less than $5,000. The Whisper will come in "two cardboard boxes for shipping by common carrier." After you inflate it, the engineers are "confident you can drive it off a 25-foot cliff without serious injury to its passengers." You don't have to worry about a tsunami or floods because it floats.

The Whisper FAQ says "research shows that the metal in your car is the largest cause of death and injury." But what if your car is punctured, will you blow away cartoon-like? They "have a special ballast and aerodynamic design set of features which makes the car very stable." The Whisper runs on batteries or fuel cells and will ship 7 months after they get funding.

[Source: PESN]

Toyota will be joining Ford and Volkswagen in presenting a new small car concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. In their pre-show press release, they announced the world premier of a "radical new small car concept" although no further details were given.

On the production side, a pair of new models are being added to the European Yaris lineup. In addition to a new mid-range model, a 1.0L version will feature what is described as urban driving technology. That probably means they are adding start-stop technology to the Yaris.

The Prius will also celebrate its tenth birthday with a hybrid extravaganza on the Toyota stand. At the other end of the scale, the next generation Land Cruiser will literally anchor the display with the debut of a new version.

[Source: Toyota]

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]