Maurtis
Elio Addict
“Americans have no appetite for small cars.”
I cannot agree with that. Well, okay, we have to define what you mean by "small cars". If you look at "compact" cars like the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, they are selling hundreds of thousands per year. I think part of the issue with the Smart was that it did not buy you a whole lot over other compact and subcompact offerings other than just being physically smaller.
Compacts like the Hyundai Elantra or subcompacts like the Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio (I owned one) were the same price or cheaper than the Smart, offered similar or better gas mileage, and offered a lot more utility. Not as fun or quirky, though.
While large trucks and SUVs are indeed being sold like crazy, there is still a sizeable market for smaller cars. Last year my wife traded in her SUV for a sedan (yay!), and my Miata and Mazda3 are both small-ish.
I cannot agree with that. Well, okay, we have to define what you mean by "small cars". If you look at "compact" cars like the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, they are selling hundreds of thousands per year. I think part of the issue with the Smart was that it did not buy you a whole lot over other compact and subcompact offerings other than just being physically smaller.
Compacts like the Hyundai Elantra or subcompacts like the Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio (I owned one) were the same price or cheaper than the Smart, offered similar or better gas mileage, and offered a lot more utility. Not as fun or quirky, though.
While large trucks and SUVs are indeed being sold like crazy, there is still a sizeable market for smaller cars. Last year my wife traded in her SUV for a sedan (yay!), and my Miata and Mazda3 are both small-ish.
Last edited: