The Small Car. Here to stay?

Years after Europe fell in love with the small car, could it be that a similar market is growing in the United States.
That seems to be the conclusion of an article in the New York Times special 'Cars' section Wednesday. The key factor seems to be higher gas prices which are turning consumers to more fuel-efficient vehicles. The smaller 'subcompact' cars are now outselling SUVs in the United States (2.5 million small cars are expected to be sold this year compared to 2.3 million SUVs).

“There is a sustained interest in small cars in a way that there has not been since the early 1970’s,” Karl Brauer, editor in chief of Edmunds.com, a car-buying advice Web site, tells reporter Micheline Maynard.

A host of new small car models are hitting the market, including the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit. BMW is also set to come out with a new version of the successful Mini Cooper. And the Smart Car is due to follow in 2008.

But American manufacturers look like they are going to be left behind once again. Ford says it has a small car "in development." Chrysler says it's looking for a Chinese partner to produce one. (Better get a move on guys!)

Car manufacturers hate small cars as they bring in far lower profits. A full-size SUV can turn a profit of up to $9,000, compared to only $400 for a 'subcompact.'

Click here to read more about the 'Small-Car Nation.'

Plug-in Hybrids "not read for prime time."
The Cars section also includes an article about plug-in Hybrids which apparently still have a long way to go to solve their technology problems. Plug-ins "are not yet ready for prime time," says Toyota's executive engineer for environmental engineeering, David Hermance. (great job title by the way!!)
The problem is that commercially available batteries do not have enough storage or durability to give good mileage range. The article suggests that a potential solution could be switching to more durable nickel-metal-hydride batteries.

Click here to read more.

Smaller, but how much safer?
The new breed of small cars are also being built these days with more safety features and stronger frames. Although advances in technology have been made, the best subcompact provides less protection than an identically rated vehicle that is larger and heavier, according to another report in
'Cars.'

“Physics dictate and crash statistics show that small cars don’t offer as good of crash protection as their larger counterparts,” says David Zuby, a senior vice president for vehicle research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In a typical collision, he told 'Cars', “the heavier vehicle always comes out better than the lighter vehicle.”

Small cars have less mass, meaning they are often forced backward in crashes, and crumple zones are smaller, making occupants more vulnerable. Fatality rates for drivers of small cars are higher than any other category: 83 deaths per million which is more than double the average for all sizes of vehicles. Ouch!!

Click here to read more.

- David Adams

Comments

[smart]

I love it..good that russia is getting smartcars too

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