First, the styling looks pretty similar to the Ford Ka of 1996, Ford Focus of 1999, Renault Avantime of 2001 and Renault Vel Satis Concept of 1998 (including the production version in 2001).
Not to mention the Ford-Ghia Saetta, Ford GT90, and one I can't recall but you would probably dig. Looking...
The Ford Prodigy clearly turned into the Taurus/Five Hundred. So you can't claim that styling didn't hit production!
I also think that the automakers just don't care enough to try to hit high MPG numbers. With the exception of the EV1, American companies never put their money where their mouth was. Seeing how CARB reacted to that, the automakers got scared and went a more conservative approach.
It's a better business model to claim the lowest mileage that consumers will consider "good" and just keep with that. If no one makes an 80mpg car, you won't lose any business. Yes, Top Gear tested a Lupo TDI that got 70 something mpg on the highway. But America doesn't have high gas taxes. I think it's true that there isn't too much of a market for it.
As long as we keep buying 15mpg SUV's to tow small fishing boats, and drive our two kids to school in 7 passenger mega-crossovers, we're sending a message to the automakers that we don't care about economy.
Period.