It's a common question these days: can you live with a tiny car? For a growing number of people, the answer is yes, but they're not always ready to make the lifestyle adjustments to get the benefits of lower gas usage (and cost) of using the right tool for the job. According to an Omnibus Study recently conducted by Morpace, Inc., a full 62 percent of consumers think their next vehicle will be smaller than what they're currently driving. Morpace Automotive Feature Content Practice VP Bill Pendry said, "While consumers may want a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle, they don't want to compromise on the feature and option content. Nearly all consumers want the same or greater number of features and options in their next vehicle."

Well, then, perhaps people aren't really clear on their reasons for downsizing. As we know, the current situation is that most (though certainly not all) small cars are pretty bare bones when compared to larger versions. A smaller car has at least one reduced feature: less room. While I can certainly understand the lack of enthusiasm for losing something like airbags, letting go of heavy and space-consuming things like DVD players and a third row of seats is OK. Realizing that it is perfectly possible to live a full life with fewer features/things is something quite vital to adapting to our new global reality, I think. See more on this topic here and check out the Morpace press release after the jump.

[Source: Morpace Inc.]

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]

If you have €1,000 burning a hole in your pocket you could pick up a copy of a new report from Research and Markets about the future of the car market. Or you could look at the rising price of oil, traffic patterns in places like New Delhi and Beijing and come to the same conclusions yourself. The study projects that small cars will lead the global car market in the next decade. Given that sales in North America have been stagnant for several years and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, growth is obviously going to come from developing markets like India and China. Those two countries already have huge problems with congestion. China, as we know, also has a bit of an issue with air quality. Everyone, including the U.S., will have to deal with increased costs of fuel. All that adds up to small, more efficient vehicles taking an increasingly large share of the market and very likely to become the biggest segment globally. Remember, you could go buy the report that says all this with figures and charts; your choice.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

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]