Monday January 16, 2006

Move over gas guzzlers, small cars are coming

peakoil.com -> usatoday.com :

Small cars, the boon and bane of the 1980s auto industry, are making a comeback as automakers rediscover how easy it is to sell good fuel economy and low prices. "Small is big in America," declares Mark Fields, Ford Motor's head of American operations. "It's going to be the season of the small car," says Kia U.S. chief Len Hunt.

If economy models zoom as much as automakers think, it'll be a huge about-face for a country in which bigger has been better for years and in which trucks have outsold cars handily. Three-dollar gasoline last fall and an evolving moderation seem to have redirected shoppers toward cars, small ones in particular.

"A more practical, less self-indulgent era may be dawning," consultant KPMG says in a summary of its recent survey of 140 global auto executives. The survey shows that 84% of the executives believe that fuel economy is a top concern of buyers, second only to quality. That presages a push for higher-mileage models the next few years.

See also :

1. Small cars staging big comeback
2. China welcomes small cars back to its streets

(2006-01-16 13:42:26 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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