Ya think?

C’mon...just get the Volt to us faster.

Scion/Toyota beat 'em to market. Again.

Could be a winner when we hit $6/gallon.

King Vanities wheelchair system is as big as that lil car.

I say bring it and bring it now, and build it here. I would drive a shoebox on local streets if it means I would save dollars on the gas bill. As far as interstate travel goes, I just dont feel safe in mini cars on them.

It is not as if GM does not have the manufacturing capability to get the vehicle built - they have HUGE plants in China and Brazil, where these mini-cars can be constructed and shipped, all without the UAW imprimatur.

Which means, that the UAW deal with the Generous Motors management dies with the current generation, and as they die off, the burden of the “lifetime” medical care gets lighter and lighter. GM is transformed into a totally global corporation, with no incentive to EVER return the manufacturing base to the US.

What the heck, the Chinese might even take more pride in building a quality product than even the Japanese. And they can do it cheaper, the advantage the Japanese traded on for years.

Those things are about the size of a coffin...how morbidly convenient.

I like that car, Darla rode in one and Spanky had to build his own to try to impress her. Great car and gets good mileage as long as your legs hold out.

I'd be afraid...

Those things are about the size of a coffin...how morbidly convenient.

I drive a car about that size, but it is prettier and it gets 37 mpg. It is a 1980, TR7 with 2.0 liter engine and 5 spd transmission. Old car, runs great, looks great and gets good mileage. I don't worry about getting hit in it because no matter what you drive you can kiss your a** goodbye if someone smacks you hard enough and I drive defensively anyway. If I do die, so what, I will sooner or later anyway, or do you actually think you are going to get out of life alive?

General Motors should have fielded a car like this 5 years ago. GM, Ford and Chrysler are losing to the Japanese and others mainly because they have made poor strategic decisions. They almost totally ceded the compact and subcompact market to the Japanese decades ago. Why?

Toyota, Honda and Nissan targeted the SUV, mid size, luxury and truck markets, but they never forgot about the small car market. They continued to produce high quality vehicles for that segment and now they are ready to take advantage of the huge demand for small fuel efficient vehicles. A good example is Honda, which is going to boost their US bound production of the popular subcompact Fit from 60,000 units to 80,000 units for the 09 model.

I would hate to see any the US auto makers go under, but they have to make better decisions if they they expect to survive.

So how are they going to pass the safety tests to put these go-karts on the road?

In fact, I do expect to get out of life alive. :)

Should have been done TEN YEARS AGO.

Get with it, GM.

Those crazy Europeans have been building small cars for a long time.

BMW Isetta (1950s)

Messerschmidt (1950s)

Peraves Ecomobiles, which are really motorcycles (Present)

So why aren’t those being sold in America?

Why are (all) the good ideas in autos/etc, all happening elsewhere?

While US automakers exist in seeming comas, building cars for 1960.

Many of the cars in that class (Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris) pass the tests quite easily.

It’s called “superior engineering” instead of “safety through more metal.”

The first two were sold in the US but nobody bought them.

You can get the Ecomobile in the US as a home-built kit, but it won’t pass US crash tests as an assembled car.

I rode in a BMW Isetta when I was a little kid in the 50’s. I still remember it. It was tan, and this crazy lady with bright red hair had it.

I was referring to the eco-mobiles actually.

I lived a couple years overseas, and became so frustrated upon returning, to see the moribund condition of innovation stateside.

I bought and drive an American car, but it’s almost because of a sense of duty.

Why can’t our car companies get even one small clue?

Given a head-on contest between “superior engineering” and a Ford F-250, I’d rather be in the Ford.

Holy cr@*!!

$79,500???

http://www.ecomobile.com/cost.htm

Think I’ll pass.

1. Safety nazis and the “kid-proof-the-world” idiots.
2. Ever escalating lame CAFE rules that instead of driving US manufacturers to make *more* efficient cars than required, encourages them to make cars that are “just good enough” to meet the idiot fuel economy laws.
3. Idiots in Congress and DOT, encouraged by the Former Big Three and their campaign donations, plus some meddling from Mercedes, refuse to establish reciprocity with other countries re: crash testing. So even if a neat car sold only in Europe passes, say, EuroNCAP with flying colors, an American can’t import it because it “isn’t safe” and “hasn’t been adequately tested.” Which is why you can’t get one of the safest cars (and the fastest) cars in the world in the US, the Jaguar XJ220, unless it’s for a museum or film car duty.

Lots of stupidity there.

In addition, the Former Big Three have lost the plot repeatedly over the years. When they started moving in the right direction, the PC and NIH idiots would screw it up, followed by the unions and the beancounters.

Got news for you. Some of these newer small cars can take on things like a dump truck, let alone an F-250, head on and have the occupants walk away.

Note: The Smart “car” is not one of them. But it’s sort of close, they need to pay more attention to the footwell areas next time.

There are several things a mini-car has to have to be successful in the US.

The very first, #1 thing is that it has to be big enough inside for Americans, which means an average height of 5’10” to 6’2” and weight of 150-250 pounds. In turn, the cab has to be higher off the ground. And this means a wider wheel base for stability during turns, unless they incorporate gyroscopic stabilizers, which may not be as silly as it sounds. Such stabilizers have even been used experimentally on motorcycles.

While bucket seats are all the rage, the dang things are impossible for big people in smaller cars. But right now there aren’t too many choices of small cars with bench seats. Like none.

To get away with this, most likely the car will be limited to two passengers and a cargo area. And that will be a harder sell than a four person car.

Perhaps this is an issue conservatives should be running with.

$5 gas can put a lot of things on the table.

kid-proof-the-world idiocy, among them.

There’s a lot of transporation tech, currently hogtied by US “kid-proof-the-world” laws. Most of which, were made by liberals.

Perhaps, those same liberals, can be turned, in this environment.

It would certainly make a great issue.

Great, when you get your plan together let me know how you are going to do it(getting out of life alive), I would greatly appreciate some input on how to do that.

IIRC, the kit cost is a third or less of that.

That said, check this out: http://www.carver-worldwide.com/SubItem/SubItem.asp?S_ID=33

Similar idea, though it’s a trike - and it’s about half the cost, assembled.

Still illegal in North America.

Why’d it be illegal?

It’s a trike.

Therefore, a motorcycle.

Therefore, exempt from auto crash standards.

I’m 6’0 and not small - and I prefer bucket seats. Not sure where you get the “benches only” idea.

Hell, I fit in a Miata, as do most people. But you have to leave the roof down.

I fit comfortably in a Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, or Toyota Yaris. It’s not “small cars”. It’s badly designed small cars that are the problem. Like, oh, most of the ones from the Former Big Three.

Trikes are illegal to import into the US. They’re not motorcycles and they’re not cars, per Customs. No category, no import, IIRC.

The other reason is that the EPA has no idea what pollution/emissions category to put it in.

I get the impression most of your enthusiasm for these small cars stems from your dislike of all US carmakers. That's kind of two different things, isn't it?

Also, FYI, they’re now trying to make bike crash standards.

Plus, ever since Honda was clever and figured out how to put an airbag on their Goldwing 1800s, DOT’s been trying to figure out how they can make it mandatory there, too.

This would be a good issue for McCain to start mentioning.

Once the bureaucrats figure out which ... is their belly button,

I’ll order a Tuk-tuk. :)

Heh, you misunderstand me.

I actually liked the Neon SRT4 a lot. Cheap, but small and STUPIDLY fast. From a US car maker.

The Focus SVT was another neat small car from the US makers, once they got their head out of their ass on the assembly problems with the UAW. Again, US car maker.

Other than that, most of the small car offerings from the US have been gross disappointments, even with

I like small cars as an idea; properly done ones are efficient, safe, and quite often a blast to drive. However, I don’t own them and I don’t want one.

In addition, while I dislike US car makers for various reasons, I *always* make an extra effort to give their products a fair shake - only to discover I probably shouldn’t have, most of the time.

If I want something small and fuel efficient, I grab the motorcycle’s keys. Same fuel efficiency, heck of a lot better power/weight, more agility, more braking, and NO ANNOYING PASSENGER YAKKING MY EARS OFF.

Aside from that, I prefer large and powerful Jaguar sedans - purely from aesthetic and fun reasons. :D

Sorry, but that information is for SUV-owners’ eyes only. :-D

Er, that should read “even with the benefit of the doubt”.

If I’m going to ride a motorcycle, I’d just as soon have a real one...

No thanks, I will keep my gas guzzler. I can afford the 460 engine.

They almost totally ceded the compact and subcompact market to the Japanese decades ago. Why?

Here's one factor to consider. Unlike Toyota or Nissan GM has to generate $2500 for legacy costs (retirement pensions and healthcare) for every car they sell. Takes quite a bite out of the old profit margin doesn't it. Smaller cars have smaller profit margins, and I bet they simply cannot make money with mini-cars built in the US without defaulting on those obligations to their thousands of retirees.

The problem with these kind of cars, and the reason companies are reluctant to sell them here, is that Americans only like these kind of cars when gas is expensive. The minute we start thinking gas is cheap again (whether it’s actually cheap or we’ve just gotten used to the cost) we dump economy cars like small pox laden blankets and the car companies are stuck with a bunch of stock they can’t sell and factories that need to be converted back to SUV building.

So? Both GM and Ford have neat small cars made for every other market but our own. They’ve brought over other cars, why not those? Build them overseas, bring them here.

(Answer: Because the unions, in many cases, have told them not to.)

Sorry, but that information is for SUV-owners’ eyes only. :-D

So, just as I thought, you are one of the dreaded carist. Nothing worse than an SUV driving carist.

If that is true... how come Honda and Toyota are still here?

They didn’t launch SUVs until recently and did just fine without them.

And to think that all this miniaturization is not necessary if we just were allowed to drill for oil in our own backyard. Hell, with a car that tiny you can get killed running over a stray cat.