Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

That's why I love my 2013 Fit. It's a 1989 Accord hatchback, but with better mileage and a better radio.

We love our '15 Fit for this reason. If I could get that car with a 40ish kWh battery, I would never want another vehicle again. The amount of space in the back of that thing is unreal. We've transported a table with four chairs before (had to take two legs off the table), we've also transported a 250lb commercial elliptical (had to remove the tower for that one). Not to mention it gets 40ish MPG without even trying. For 99% of our car needs, the Fit is king. Just wish it had a bigger gas tank, or was an electric one.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

A 1984 Honda Accord was a subcompact car with 97 cu ft of of internal volume. That 1.8L 100 hp engine managed to get 25 mpg.

A 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid is a large car with 123 cu ft of internal volume. The 2.0L 210 hp engine manages to get 48 mpg

Sure the technical evolution is not negligible, but comparing a full-hybrid to its predecessor from days when hybrid cars were quite a sci-fi daydream is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

The Accord has grown 3 class sizes in 30 years.

As you mentioned, the Accord has grown 3 class sizes. So, presumably they were not adjusted to accomodate the increasing sizes of vehicles there in the United States. Meanwhile in countries such as mine, my point is some cars which are nowadays considered small would be considered large if they were released 20 years earlier.

[Bicycle Bob]

If I were getting a variety of visitors, especially in bunches, it would be fun to serve their drinks in containers that were oversize in proportion to the excess capacity of the vehicles they used to arrive. Some would get a few ounces of fruit juice in a heavy beer stein. Coffee would arrive in the bottom of pitchers instead of mugs. Only full car-poolers and cyclists would not feel mocked.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Sure the technical evolution is not negligible, but comparing a full-hybrid to its predecessor from days when hybrid cars were quite a sci-fi daydream is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Even looking at conventional gas engine huge gains have been made. Honda doesn't sell a subcompact car in the USA anymore. The Civic is the smallest and it is midsize and 16% larger than an 80's Accord.

The 2021 Civic does 33 mpg combined and the Accord does the same.

Image the gains that could be made if we focused on fuel economy instead of making larger and larger cars with more and more power?

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

As you mentioned, the Accord has grown 3 class sizes. So, presumably they were not adjusted to accomodate the increasing sizes of vehicles there in the United States. Meanwhile in countries such as mine, my point is some cars which are nowadays considered small would be considered large if they were released 20 years earlier.

We are saying the same thing.

[freebeard]

Years ago my son and I followed two Minis up I-5, an Austin 850 in the right lane and an early BMW to it's left. It was an interesting comparison. Now the Countryman Mini is larger than a Land Rover [citation needed, this one is three years old]

When Detroit responded to the Beetle/Renault Dauphine/Vauxhall the result was the 'compact' Falcon/Corvair/Valiant. Japan then countered with the Datsun 510.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Even looking at conventional gas engine huge gains have been made.

Of course. Sequential multi-port injection, and more recently direct injection, have done miracles regarding fuel-efficiency.

Image the gains that could be made if we focused on fuel economy instead of making larger and larger cars with more and more power?

I usually point out the tax structure in my country which used to be tied to the power rating, and nowadays is tied to the displacement. A larger engine with a lower power and a greater low-end torque at reduced peak RPMs may sometimes be better than a marketing-oriented addiction to power.

We are saying the same thing.

Look at this Opel Astra B, which was rebadged as a Chevrolet in my country. It was slotted at the same segment as the Cruze which became its replacement here.



Then take a look at the 2nd-generation Chevrolet Onix. Slightly longer and wider, yet at an immediately lower segment. The previous generation of the Onix, which is not really so smaller, is still available as a budget-oriented model.



Considering the Astra B was available here only with naturally-aspirated 1.8L and 2.0L engines, if someone told me 15 years ago I would see any car with roughly its same size and a naturally-aspirated 1.0L engine I wouldn't believe it, even though by then I was quite supportive of turbocharging a smaller engine due to the displacement-biased taxation.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Even though hatchbacks are not accepted by the regulations of many cities to operate as a taxi, this early Chevrolet Onix has caught my attention.


On a sidenote, it has been the best-selling car throughout Latin America for at least 3 years in a row from 2017 to 2019, until the current generation was released. A version with the 2017 facelift remains available as the entry option in Brazil, and also available in regional export markets even though the previous-generation Spark (still sourced from India and assembled in Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador from CKD kits) remains with a limited availability as the cheapest Chevy in the region.

[MetroMPG]

GM kills the entry level Spark and pulls the plug on their old ideal of "a car for every purse & purpose".

2022 will be its final model year.

“The Spark is being produced through August 2022, then it will be phased out of Chevrolet’s product lineup. Customers seeking comfort, function and style at an approachable price still have strong options within Chevrolet’s family of compact SUVs.”

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...22/6653149001/

Their next least expensive vehicle (Trax) is 50% more expensive than the base Spark.

Tough time to be a car buyer at the bottom of the market.

This is especially sad for Canadians, because it means the end of the "$10k econobox" era. (You can order a base Spark with 5MT, crank windows and no AC for just over $10k CAD before destination & taxes.)

This leaves the Mirage as America & Canada's cheapest new car at around $15k ... then again, who knows how long it'll be before Mitsu pulls the plug on that one.

[redpoint5]

I've always wondered how cheap cars exist. Why would someone buy a new Spark for $10k when they could have a 4 year old Corolla (or fill in the blank) that gets just as good fuel economy?

I dated a girl that bought 2 Aveos brand new within a year. She could have bought a 3 year old Acura with how much she was spending on a car with no AC (she would drive in a bikini in the summer).

The elimination of cheap cars does tend to drive the used car market pricing higher though.