Has Toyota’s youth-oriented sub-brand, Scion, failed, or merely timed out in its mission? Jim Lentz, Toyota’s CEO for North America, announced yesterday in a video statement that the brand will be phased out after the 2016 model year, with all products but the tC coupe reappearing with...Read More»
Great genre-bending cars are often the result of a leader with passion, to see it through—from conception to reality. Smart Automobile CEO Dr. Annette Winkler is the quintessence of that; the first ground-up redesign of the distinctive Fortwo lineup—including the new 2017 Smart Fortwo...Read More»
The 2016 Honda Civic has been fully tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and it’s earned top ratings in every respect. That includes the best ‘good’ ratings for moderate and small overlap frontal tests, as well as side impact, head restraints and seats...Read More»
The 2015 Mitsubishi Miragemight feel like a 1990s-era economy car in many respects, but it certainly protects much better than one. Shoppers can have a little more confidence in the safety of this very affordable small car after the recent release of Federal New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)...Read More»
The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is a disappointing car. It doesn't offer anywhere close to today's standards of refinement or performance, when we compare it not to cars that are much more expensive but to those that are of the same price range. And those inadequacies can't mask any of its positives...Read More»
No matter what you’ve started to consider in a next new car, there are two things that taking a quick spin in a 2014 Ford Fiesta can make abundantly clear. The first is that small cars don’t have to be so soulless and appliance-like. The second? Low-price new cars don't all feel...Read More»
Small cars are big business these days. Thanks to stricter regulation of fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions, everything seems to be downsizing, from the family sedan to the rough-and-ready work truck . But though they may shrink, few will ever get as pint-sized as the car custom-built by Austin...Read More»
Considering the Kia Soul, MINI Countryman, or Nissan Juke? You might want to hold out another few weeks as there'll soon be another strong rival to throw in the mix: The new Fiat 500L begins arriving to dealerships this next month, and it's now been very competitively priced against those models...Read More»
Back in the 1980s, the Yugo GV sold for a base price of just $3,990. Even adjusted for inflation, from 1986 to 2013 (about $8,400 in today's money), that's a steal—and one that did indeed prove irresistible for more than 140,000 thrifty Americans. Yet for the most part, the GV—for...Read More»
Want a first look at Nissan’s all-new Versa Hatchback? It’s right here, in these first pictures of the new 2014 Nissan Versa Note, from the Detroit Auto Show. Although Nissan introduced a new version of its Versa Sedan last year, it’s held on to the outgoing version of the Versa...Read More»
Cooler weather often puts a chill on auto sales, and this year is no exception. However, the industry is still poised to see huge year-over-year growth -- especially where small cars are concerned. The news comes from analysts and Kelley Blue Book, who've looked at sales data from the first three...Read More»
Gas prices are soaring. Parking is pricey. The economy is recovering, but still shaky. Add all that up, and you'd expect small cars to be fairly popular in the U.S. And you'd be right. In fact, small cars are on track to reach a market share not seen since Bill Clinton's first inauguration...Read More»
Yesterday, we pointed out that small cars have been selling like hotcakes -- tiny, 110-cubic-foot-sized hotcakes. Today, they represent 19.3% of America's new-car purchases, and they're on track to hit 20.5%, a market share that small cars haven't enjoyed in nearly 20 years. Part of the allure of...Read More»
Smaller vehicles, chosen wisely, can be more appealing than larger ones. That's a message that we've delivered quite a bit over the past several years, in reviews of some excellent new small cars. But now we have some numbers to confirm that trend—from the latest J.D. Power and Associates...Read More»
In our first drive of the 2012 Scion iQ, last summer, we were pleasantly surprised—almost smitten—with this new minicar (sold as a Toyota in other world markets), and impressed that such a daring product is coming to the U.S. Compared to the Smart Fortwo, which is really the only other...Read More»
At a Detroit Auto Show press conference earlier this week, Chrysler rolled out its upcoming 2013 Dodge Dart. Set to replace the Dodge Caliber, priced starting at $15,995 (below the Caliber), and slotting right along more mainstream compact sedans like the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai...Read More»
With the Chevrolet Spark, Sonic, and Cruze this year completing a full suite of small-car models, General Motors now has small cars covered in the U.S. Or so it would seem; the company also knows that simply offering ordinary hatchbacks and sedans, like the Spark, Sonic, and Cruze, won’t...Read More»
Toyota has the small-car market pretty well covered. In addition to the 2012 Toyota Yaris, there are the Scion xB and iQ models, which share in many places the same showroom and the same sales lot. And that's before even considering the only somewhat larger Matrix (and Corolla), as well as the...Read More»
The Dodge Dart is back. Well, almost; next year, Dodge will resurrect the Dart model name in an all-new compact sedan set to replace the unlovely Caliber hatchback. And from the couple of pictures that Dodge had already revealed, we knew that this new model—a compact sedan aimed at mainstream...Read More»
