USA TODAY International Edition
Little cars to roll with big mileage
Japanese subcompacts will also offer upscale features
Top Japanese car companies are preparing a new wave of 40- plus miles- per- gallon subcompact cars for America just as high gasoline
prices and fuel shortages have made U. S.
motorists acutely interested in such vehicles.
The three models from Toyota, Honda and Nissan will hit the market close to one another next spring, starting at about $12,000 and expected to sport fuel economy ratings of roughly 40 mpg in mixed driving, even better on the highway.
Nissan’s Versa, the biggest and probably least fuel-ef 4 cient of the new trio, is recording 38 mpg in combined city- highway use in Nissan tests, the automaker says.
Gasoline prices, currently declining, are expected to rebound to $3 or so about when the new subcompacts go on sale.
In a twist, all three — referred to in the auto industry as B-class or Bsegment cars — will emphasize premium features rather than being marketed as bare- bones econocars.
“ The typical B- segment car sold elsewhere in the world isn’t quite up to the standard for American customers, who expect more roominess, more comfort, more features,” says John Weiner, director of car product planning for Nissan North America.
Details aren’t 4 nal, but expect the Versa, the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit to offer high-end sound systems, multiple air bags, antilock brakes and other features previously rare in the smallest cars.
Yaris will have “ a surprising and upscale interior,” promises Jim Lentz, general manager of the Toyota brand in the USA.
While it might seem as if the Japanese makers are capitalizing on the memory of this year’s $3 gasoline, that’s coincidence. All have had U.S.- market small cars under development for several years.
“ The onslaught is more a competitive response to the success Scion has had attracting buyers than it is a response to fuel prices,” says Jeff Schuster, head of global forecasting for auto consultant J. D. Power and Associates. Scion is Toyota’s youth-oriented brand of inexpensive small cars.
An industry-leading 45% of small-car owners eventually trade up to pricier, more pro 4 table models known as premium compacts, such as Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, according to an analysis done for USA TODAY by Power Information Network ( PIN).
Within that group, “ The No. 1 model to which every one of the (entry-level, small- car) owners trades is a premium compact car from the same brand,” says PIN’s Tom Libby.
For example, between July 1 and Oct. 16, 23.1% of the people who traded Hyundai Accent small cars replaced them with bigger Hyundai Elantras, according to the PIN data.
In the same period, 16.2% of Chevy Aveos mall-car owners who replaced their cars did so with bigger, more expensive Chevy Cobalts and 16.9% with Chevy HHRs.
Those loyalty numbers might seem small but are enormous by auto industry standards.
In an age when buyers typically shop for a deal, not for a speci 4 c vehicle, cheap small cars promise brand loyalty and lower marketing costs.
“ We hope to capture some of these people young and keep them within our family of vehicles for many, many years,” Weiner says.
The Toyota, Nissan and Honda newcomers aren’t the 4 rst to the small-car party. Automakers from often-overlooked, low- price Suzuki to pricey Audi have B-class cars.
But the big- name Japanese makers will bring a marketing heft and sales-volume potential to the small- car segment previously missing. That competition should help hold down prices while broadening choices for buyers who don’t want to spend big bucks for gas-electric hybrid vehicles or settle for spartan fuel- sippers.
The coming small- car battle could reprise the 1970s and early ’ 80s, when gas was expensive and sometimes scarce. Fuel- ef 4 cient Japanese cars were in the right place at the right time as owners J ed fuel- thirsty Detroit models.
This time, though, Schuster says, “ Detroit brands have more in their arsenal.” Chevy has Aveo; Ford Motor is working on a B-class car; and DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes- Benz brand is mulling a B-class.
Automakers start small for loyalty
Toyota, Honda and Nissan soon will introduce fuel-ef 4 cient subcompact sedans in the U.S. market, hoping to snag young buyerswho often remain loyal to a brand as they age and buy more-expensive, more- pro 4 table models. Speci 4 cations are not 4 nal for U.S.- market models. Details listed here are provided by the automakers and should be close to the cars’ 4 nal U.S. speci 4 cations. Prices are expected to range from about $12,000 to $15,000 but aren’t set yet. Miles- per- gallon ratings should be in the high- 30s to mid- 40s. Toyota Yaris uWhat: Replaces Echo subcompact in U.S. lineup. Probablywill be available as a two-door hatchback and four-door hatchback. uWhen: On sale next spring as a 2007 model.
uHow much: Possibly the lowest priced of
the new entries. The Echo it replaces started
at about $ 11,000.
uDrivetrain: 1.5- liter, four-cylinder engine
rated 106 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 103
pounds- feet of torque at 4,200 rpm. Available with four- speed automatic or 4 vespeed manual transmission.
uDimensions: 151 inches long, 67 inches
wide, 60 inches tall on a 97- inch wheelbase.
uDistinctive features:
Gauges mounted in
a pod on top of the center of the dashboard
instead of directly in front of the driver. Nissan Versa: It’ll be less expensive than the Sentra and comes in a four-door sedan or hatchback, in back. Honda Fit: In Europe, it’s called the Jazz, and it’s a best seller in Japan. Nissan Versa uWhat: New entry- level model for Nissan in the USA. Smaller, less expensive than the Sentra. Available as four-door hatchback or four-door sedan. uWhen: Hatchback is due late next spring as a 2007 model. Sedan follows in late ’ 06. uHow much: Expected to start at about $ 12,000. uDrivetrain: 1.8- liter, four-cylinder engine rated 120 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 125 pounds- feet of torque at 4,800 rpm; six- speed manual standard; continuously variable automatic transmission ( CVT) and conventional fourspeed automatic optional. uDimensions: 169 inches ( hatchback) or 176 inches ( sedan) long, 67 inches wide, 60 inches tall, on a 102- inch wheelbase. uDistinctive features: Biggest and probably the most powerful, sportiest of
the new entries. Available in two body
styles. Multiple transmission choices.
Honda Fit
uWhat: New entry- level model. Smaller,
less expensive than the Civic. Available as a
four-door hatchback.
uWhen: Next spring as a 2007 model.
uHow much:
Honda’s giving no clues, but
it’ll have to signi 4 cantly undercut the Civic,
which starts at about $ 15,000.
uDimensions: 152 inches long, 66 inches
wide, 60 inches tall, on a 96- inch wheelbase.
Honda uDrivetrain: Japan- market models offer choice of 1.3- or 1.5- liter four-cylinder engines. Honda won’t saywhat the U.S. engine will be but hints it’ll be different than those. uDistinctive features: Could be the most fuel-ef 4 cient of the new entries, depending on which engine Honda selects for the U.S. market. Sold in Europe as the Jazz and has been the best- selling car in Japan.