We have passed "peak economy car" in North America.
Again! (This seems to go in cycles.)
Just over 10 years ago, when EcoModder started, there were only a handful of econoboxes available in the States:
- Honda Fit
- Mazda 2
- Toyota Yaris
- Chevy Aveo
- Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio
But the high & rising price of fuel at that time (as well as the relatively low fuel economy of their larger vehicles) spurred automakers to make many more economy cars available.
Fast forward to today, and even though gas prices have crept back up to 3 year highs, small cars are being dropped from line-ups at a pretty rapid clip.
Please bow your heads to pay respects to the dearly departed (or imminently departing)...
Mazda 2 (one of the first to go)
Ford Fiesta (especially the 1.0L, 3-cyl turbo)
Ford Focus (especially the 1.0L, 3-cyl turbo)
Dodge Dart (especially the "Aero" eco-version)
Chevy Spark (rumour is it will be replaced by a mini-CUV)
Chevy Sonic (already essentially replaced by the CUV based on the same chassis)
Chevy Cruze (rumour, but assembly shifts have been cut back; will miss the ECO and diesel options)
Hyundai Accent (hatchback - sedan is new for 2018... though you can still get a Kia Rio hatch, for now)
Fiat 500 (Friday, Marchionne said "Fiat isn't working" in North America)
Smart dropped the internal combustion versions of the Fortwo, so it's EV only now. How long will that last?
VW Beetle ... (does this count?)
Did I miss any?
Chrysler has also dropped the 200, but that doesn't count as an economy car. And
Ford is killing off all its cars (including the Fusion hybrid), except the Mustang.