small cars
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Two years ago this month, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles essentially threw in the towel on the "automobiles" part of its name. Canceling the compact Dodge Dart and the mid-size Chrysler 200 sedans, the company doubled down on the pickup trucks and utility vehicles that had long been its profit centers. Now that decision has become a trend, spurred on by changing global consumer tastes and higher fuel economy for all vehicles. DON'T MISS: Chrysler throws in towel on sedans: 200, Dart to die for SUVs, trucks (Apr 2016) Rumors that the Ford Fiesta subcompact would be withdrawn from the U.S. market...
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Discounts soar on many small cars as market stampedes toward SUVs
The market's shift to crossovers and SUVs is well documented, but what may be less well known are the massive discounts some automakers now offer on small cars as a result. While those small cars may deliver smaller profit margins, automakers must now add in steep discounts to move them from...
Sean Szymkowski -
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4: gas mileage review
The Mitsubishi Mirage is the underdog of small cars: slow, loud, and archaic, but scrappy. And it's been a much bigger sales success than Mitsubishi expected, given the small numbers of minicars and subcompacts sold in the U.S. these days. For 2017, Mitsubishi added a four-door sedan model dubbed...
John Voelcker -
Fiat to slash prices on aging small car lines: report
Fiat will reportedly slash prices on certain 500 models.
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevy Bolt EV not on shared architecture, but platform name secret, GM says
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV had a fast and unusual development process. General Motors partnered closely with Korean electronics firm LG, whose LG Chem subsidiary provided its lithium-ion battery cells. Other LG units contributed both electric and electronic components and now act as contract...
John Voelcker -
Minicars And Microcars: How Small Could Lexus Go?
The Lexus LF-SA Concept that made a first appearance this past month at the Geneva Motor Show definitely pushes the brand into unexpected design territory—and down to an unexpectedly small size. At just 136 inches long, 67 inches wide, and 56 inches high, the concept that Lexus described as...
Bengt Halvorson -
Canada is bigger than the U.S.; the distances are equally vast; and there’s way more land area per person. And yet Canadians tend to buy smaller cars. Why is this? The simple answer, at least from the south side of the border, is that Canadians are less ostentatious. They typically spend about 15 percent less on new vehicles; and while that’s definitely not because they’re worse off (the median Canadian household income, adjusted for currency, is higher than in the U.S.), it’s certain that Canadian shoppers tend to choose somewhat smaller, more modestly equipped...
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Nissan Sway Concept Sets The Look For Future Small Cars—And Leaf?
The Nissan Sway concept, shown this past week at the Geneva Motor Show, consolidates some of Nissan’s design themes into a single expression that’s important for Europe. Although it’s worth wondering: Are we also seeing a first glimpse of the look of the next Nissan Leaf electric...
Bengt Halvorson -
Every 2014 And 2015 Hybrid Car In The U.S.: Ultimate Guide
Turn back the clock by one decade, and there were just four hybrid cars on sale in the U.S. One was the first-generation Toyota Prius. The original Honda Insight was still going strong as the most efficient vehicle on sale (and only plug-in cars still better it today). Honda also offered the Civic...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Fiat 500 Updated With New Instrument Cluster, Display Options
The 2015 Fiat 500 gains new technology features, and an automatic transmission for Turbo and Abarth models.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW Plans Slimmed-Down Range For Next-Gen MINI Models
The third-generation MINI has only just been launched, but that hasn't stopped parent company BMW commenting on what the next generation might hold. Details of the models themselves are unlikely to arrive for many years--the current car has a whole lifecycle, including a mid-life refresh ahead of...
Antony Ingram -
VW Beetle Celebrates 65 Years In U.S. (With A Few Missing)
The first Volkswagen Beetle was imported to the U.S. in January 1949.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 2015 Kia Soul EV will be the first all-electric car sold by Kia outside of Korea.
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Next MINI Could Get 10 Variants, Plug-In Hybrid Option
The next-generation of BMW's MINI subcompact could spawn as many as ten different variants following its arrival next year. In an interview with Automotive News, BMW's board member in charge of MINI, Peter Schwartzenbauer, suggested that "eight to ten models" could be built from the car's new ULK...
Antony Ingram -
Which 2013 Small Cars Are IIHS Top Safety Picks?
It's not hard to see why small cars have increased in popularity over the last decade or so. Always popular among some buyers for their gas-saving abilities, today's small cars are also now quicker, more comfortable, better-equipped and safer than ever before. IIHS has been discovering just how...
Antony Ingram -
The Missing MINI Model: Clubvan Withdrawn After Just 50 Sales
We've always liked small vans, especially those derived from wagons--as rare as wagons are these days. But it turns out that the latest small van--the 2013 MINI Clubvan--both arrived in the U.S. and departed again, pretty much before anyone noticed. We had dropped a line asking about the little...
John Voelcker -
2014 Kia Soul Revealed At NY Auto Show, Live Photos
It might not look too different from the old model, but the car you're looking at here is the new 2014 Kia Soul. The Sould might have dropped a few MPG in Kia and Hyundai's gas mileage fiasco but there was little wrong with the way it looked, and the new car simply incorporates a few cues from last...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: Brief Drive Of NY Auto Show Debut
Yes, the green paintwork was a deliberate choice. Not that the Mitsubishi Mirage, widely expected to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show next week, isn't available in any other colors. But we couldn't pass down an opportunity to drive one which matches with the site's green focus. The new Mirage...
Antony Ingram -
Fiat is best known for its small cars. Not just in the U.S, where the diminutive Fiat 500, the 500 Abarth, and larger 500L are its only offerings, but in its home markets in Europe, too. Large Fiats have rarely persisted--poor sales and uncompetitive products have often pushed them to the sidelines. Yet larger cars are exactly where Fiat wants to go, in the U.S. at least. Speaking to Wards Auto at the Chicago Auto Show, Fiat North American brand chief Tim Kuniskis says the brand will add at least six more models by 2015. “Got to have something for everybody,” he said at the show...
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2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman: LA Auto Show Live Photos
We're into the second day of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the launches are still rolling in. MINI has launched the Paceman in L.A, and we can now bring you live images of the current range-topper, the Cooper S Paceman. Adding a turbocharger to the regular Cooper Paceman's 1.6-liter gasoline...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Fiat 500L: Los Angeles Auto Show Preview
Our second Fiat of the day isn't quite as compact, and with regular gasoline engines it isn't as green, but it could be significantly more important for Fiat in the U.S. The 2014 Fiat 500L makes its official debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, presenting Fiat with a rival to the MINI Cooper...
Antony Ingram -
Green Cars Of The Past: 1951 Crosley Wagon
Being an antique auto historian and appraiser is the greatest job I've ever had. I get to drive all sorts of cars that I've admired from afar, but never actually had a chance to drive before. I've always gotten a kick out of the little, economical Crosley cars built between 1939 and 1952...
John Voelcker -
Do Americans Finally Love Small Cars? Sales Data Says Yes
America has never been too fond of small cars. Big spaces and cheap gas has always encouraged larger vehicles, but a lack of genuinely talented small cars to choose from has also played a part. That's all changed in recent years, with most manufacturers now offering minicars, subcompacts and...
Antony Ingram -
Young Buyers Like Small Cars, Don't Care About Fuel Economy
Statistics are curious and often contradictory things. That's doubly so when they reveal shopping habits, because shoppers are curious and contradictory creatures. For example, we've heard time and again that even if Millennials (aka "Generation Y") could afford to buy cars, they wouldn't flock to...
Richard Read