Minicars
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Volkswagen has been teasing us with concept versions of its Up minicar since the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2007, but finally the production version has been revealed and will make its debut at Frankfurt again in September. The Up (which VW spells "up!") is part of Volkswagen's drive towards greater efficiency in the absence of diesel and electric powertrains by more traditional means: a small, lightweight chassis and tiny engines with below-average cylinder counts. This means a body no more than 11.6 feet long by 5.3 feet wide and a range of brand new three-cylinder engines. Those engines will...
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Half Of Japan Now Drives High MPG, Low Power Kei Minicars
If there's one thing that illustrates the culture difference between the United States and Japan better than anything else, it's the cars everyone drives. In the U.S, the Ford F-Series truck has dominated the sales charts for quarter of a century. The smallest engine available is a 3.5-liter...
Antony Ingram -
Small, Fun, High-MPG Minicars, Never Coming To The U.S.
Life is so unfair sometimes. Car companies have been dangling the carrot of smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles in front of us for a few years now and though we've managed to grab vehicles like the MINI, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta (and the Chevrolet Spark is on the way), we're still denied many...
Antony Ingram -
GM Launches World's Second-Smallest Car Diesel, In Indian Beat
It must be the Chevrolet Spark minicar's moment in the sun. Last week, GM confirmed that the smallest Chevy ever sold will come to the U.S. as a 2013 model. Then we put two and two together to wonder if Chevy's first all-electric car might be a converted Spark. What we forgot to mention--until...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Confirms Smallest-Ever Spark Minicar For U.S. In 2012
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact just going into production this month is the smallest car sold by Chevrolet in the U.S., but the bowtie brand isn't finished downsizing yet. Today, General Motors confirmed that the Chevrolet Spark minicar will be sold in the U.S. GM's executive director of North...
John Voelcker -
2012 Scion iQ: Is 37 MPG Good Enough?
The all-new 2012 Scion iQ minicar starts at around $16k and earns an EPA-rated 36 mpg city, 37 highway, for a Combined figure of 37 mpg.
Bengt Halvorson -
Production of the Yo Auto CityCar is scheduled to start in the second half of next year but the technology for the planned hybrid model is reportedly still in development.
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2012 Scion iQ Pricing Starting At $15,995
Only one engine will be offered on the 2012 Scion iQ at launch, a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit rated at 90 horsepower and matched to a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Gordon Murray Design Reveals T.27 Electric Minicar Prototype
About a month ago we first brought you details on the new T.27 electric minicar prototype from automotive industry legend Gordon Murray, one of the chief designers of the McLaren F1 supercar. His latest T.25 minicar project is bustling along, with his design firm, the eponymous Gordon Murray...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Gordon Murray's T.25 Minicar Spawns T.27 Electric Variant
It’s been a while since we heard about Gordon Murray and the British engineer’s enigmatic T.25 minicar. The last we heard, Gordon Murray and his eponymous design and engineering firm Gordon Murray Design had built a prototype for his new minicar, revealing details about its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
An Even Minier MINI: Tiny 3-Cylinder Carbon-Fiber Car In 2014
If you, like us, think the modern-day MINIs are simply getting too big to be called a mini, then never fear as the automaker is reportedly set to launch its smallest model yet. MINI showed off a new concept car the recent 2011 Geneva Motor Show called the Rocketman, which is probably the closest...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW i3 Electric Car Coming With 100-Mile Range And $35,000 Sticker: Report
The upcoming BMW i3, the car formerly known as the Megacity Vehicle and the first production all-electric car from BMW, is set to revolutionize the way mainstream cars are engineered and built, with most of its internal structure and body being composed of lightweight composite materials such as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Despite a bumpy start, including some early examples of spontaneous combustion, the tiny Tata Nano is starting to fulfill the promise of bringing a four-wheeled automobile to India's masses at the world's lowest price. This hasn't gone unnoticed next door, in Pakistan. A Pakistani conglomerate, known as the International Multi Group of Companies, wants to import vehicles from the Tata Group. The lineup could include everything from the diminutive Nano to Tata's transit buses, powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). IMG already has a letter of intent with the Tata Group that covers the CNG...
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High-MPG 2012 Ford Fiesta: More Style With New Customization Packs
To keep interest in its 40 mpg capable Fiesta bubbling along into the 2012 model year, Ford is introducing a trio of new customization packs for both the exterior and cabin of the already stylish minicar. The new packs should prove popular as around 40 percent of buyers of the 2011 model have opted...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Production Honda Brio Minicar Revealed, Still Only For Asian Markets
Last year both Honda and Mitsubishi unveiled new minicar concepts previewing their respective small car futures--Honda with the Brio Prototype and Mitsubishi with the Concept Global Small. Since then Mitsubishi has confirmed the production version of its Concept Global Small for eventual sale in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Pininfarina Signs Deal For Production Of Bluecar Electric Vehicle
The last we heard of Pininfarina and its Bluecar electric vehicle was that the company was looking to start production but a lack of financial support meant the project was never able to pass the concept stage. That was almost two years ago, however. Fast forward to today and we have news that...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Tata Pixel Concept's 'Spin On The Spot' Parking
It's not coming to the States--at least not for several years--but the Tata Pixel concept shown at last week's Geneva Motor Show is worth paying attention to. It shows how a more upscale four-seat urban car could be built on the underpinnings of the tiny Tata Nano, the world's cheapest new car. One...
John Voelcker -
Report: Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Available For Sale In 2012
The Smart brand has enjoyed modest success in the U.S. since its launch here back in 2007 but with a lack of any new models or updates, the oddly-designed minicar brand has fallen largely off the radar of late. Furthermore, even with all the hoopla surrounding electric vehicles at the moment...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The world's least expensive new car, India's Tata Nano, is now selling across that country, with plans afoot to offer an upgraded version in Europe this year or in 2012. Meanwhile, carmaker Tata (which owns Jaguar Land Rover) is hardly standing still. At this week's 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Tata rolled out the Pixel Concept, its idea of an ultra-efficient urban car. The Pixel is aimed mostly at European and Asian markets, where fuel is far pricier than in the U.S. And many of its features are meant to make it stand out in crowded, space-constrained urban streets. Tata says the Pixel, which is...
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2011 Scion iQ Minicar Sales Delayed Until This Summer
If you're eagerly waiting for the first 2011 Scion iQ minicar to show up at your dealer, sit down and have a nice cup of tea. You're going to have wait a bit longer. Scion's parent, Toyota, is delaying the U.S. launch of the iQ, originally scheduled to happen by March of this year, to sometime this...
John Voelcker -
Mitsubishi Launching Eight New Electrified Cars By 2015
Later this year Mitsubishi’s battery-powered i-MiEV will finally go on sale in the U.S., having already gone on sale in Europe and Japan and making an appearence at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show last November. However, it’s hard to get excited over Mitsubishi’s zero-emission...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Big Crash, Small Electric Car: 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' Barrier Test
It's both true and not-so-true: Small cars are dangerous in a crash. It's true, in that the laws of physics indicate a heavier object will have more momentum than a lighter object when they collide, meaning the small one gets displaced. But it's not so true if you're looking at absolute levels of...
John Voelcker -
Lotus Minicar Confirmed For 2013 Launch
With the handful of new production intent concept cars Lotus showed off at the recent 2010 Paris Auto Show, it’s evident the automaker, typically focused with lightweight sports cars, is trying new things. What’s interesting to see is that Lotus is expanding towards both ends of the new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The Missing Electric Car Segment: Minicars At $15,000 Or So?
For the past few years, we’ve witnessed the success of low-volume, high-priced, highway-capable electric vehicles in the Tesla Roadster. We’ve also just recently seen the advent of medium-volume, medium -priced highway-capable electric cars like the 2011 Chevy Volt and 2011 Nissan LEAF...
Jason Hendler