All Small Cars Are Not Created Equal

[TruckMan]

I think it comes down to people's choice in styling and looks. There was an article I read on car buyer's decision making, and it listed vehicle looks and styling as the number one consideration of buyers today, not gas mileage or price. Basically, if it comes down to a few vehicles that meet your needs with regards to functionality, price, & mileage the only thing left to really differentiate them is looks.

[bobojay]

Remember the Aveo is in short supply right now because of being replaced by the updated Aveo 5 model.
Haven't seen one yet in the KC area.
The Astra is being overlooked because the 4cyl. Aura gets almost the same mileage at almost the same price point. Not to mention absolutely no advertising for it.
Got a couple 4 door Astras running around my neighborhood. They look nice.

[dav305z]

Pontiac dealer near me is plain out of G5's. Perhaps there's part of the problem.

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by FierySolstice

The Astra isn't a bad car, I'm surprised more people arent' buying them. I think it's because people don't know much about them. I rarely see them advertised.

Well people wanted a true european car that handles like it's on rails and all that. The thing is they don't want to pay for it. They are ot cheap cars. Nice cars, but not cheap. North American's buy cheap crap cars. Everyone wants to see the econoboxes with nice materials and loaded up with goodies, but when it comes down to it, people don't buy them.

[KingElvis]

The FIT has a great image and an interesting 'youth' marketing approach that makes it seem cool - not just a penalty box for spinsters and misers.

With all due respect to Ming, I absolutely HATE that tiny van look of the FIT. A Cobalt coupe looks like a Ferrari in comparison.

[97ultra]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

It's a good analysis and worthwhile. I'm more and more impressed by BW's articles than almost any of the others..

He talks about the Aveo sales being down but doesn't talk about the
Toyota Corolla $14,405; 28/37; $1,991; -3%

Toyota Prius $21,500; 48/45; $1,338; -3%
both being down.

[Ming]

Wrong --- Spectra is not an Aveo competitor -- it's more like the Suzuki Reno - AKA - Forenza / Lacetti, which is one class larger made by the same company, GM Daewoo.

Aveo competes with Rio. Jeez.....

The fact that the Aveo "only gets marginally better" fuel economy than the Spectra is a PROBLEM not a great selling point to scratch your head over.

Also, the Aveo is being refreshed this year (with improved fuel economy). That's the excuse given for big trucks sales drops before a redesign appears in big numbers on dealer lots, why would the same not apply to small cars?

The real question is why some high-mileage cars are selling and others are moribund. Why is the Chevy Aveo (BusinessWeek.com, 12/27/06), which is roughly the size of the Kia Spectra (BusinessWeek.com, 8/7/07) and about the same price, not seeing increased sales, especially when it gets marginally superior fuel economy?

[ColoradoZQ8]

Originally Posted by Uzzy

Well people wanted a true european car that handles like it's on rails and all that. The thing is they don't want to pay for it. They are ot cheap cars. Nice cars, but not cheap. North American's buy cheap crap cars. Everyone wants to see the econoboxes with nice materials and loaded up with goodies, but when it comes down to it, people don't buy them.

Yeah, American's only buy cheap small cars........
..............because the new Mini Cooper is such a sales flop.

Let's face it -- the Astra is totally overpriced and lacks the equipment to sell for its respective MSRP.
The Mini sells like crazy with no incentives.

GM builds some great cars -- but often can't get the numbers to jive. I'd never buy an Astra without a big incentive, personally -- and I like the car. The Cobalt is similar and has much better bang for the buck.

[Gigantor]

I really, really like the Vibe and I think it blows the Matrix out of thee water styling wise. The Matrix looks very "amphibian" like to me. To make the Vibe a bit more ""Pontiac" they should throw a turbo or DI the engines, button the suspension down etc. I know it is built with Toyota and these may not be possible, but it would give the car more charactier.

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by Gigantor

I really, really like the Vibe and I think it blows the Matrix out of thee water styling wise. The Matrix looks very "amphibian" like to me. To make the Vibe a bit more ""Pontiac" they should throw a turbo or DI the engines, button the suspension down etc. I know it is built with Toyota and these may not be possible, but it would give the car more charactier.

I totally agree. I thought the last Matrix was a bit better loking than the Vibe, but I hate the new Matrix and love the new Vibe. If I were to buy a new small car, it would be the Vibe for sure. A little more potency without killing the good fuel mileage would be nice too. And I'm not a fan of hatchbacks, but I've always like the Vibe/Matrix.

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by WishIhadatruck

Compare that to the Chevrolet dealer. You have the Cobalt and the Aveo. In my opinion the Aveo is not as nice of a car compared to the Cobalt and doesn't offer any real advantages.

Aveo offers headroom and a higher seating position than the Cobalt. We compared them at the NY auto show this spring. My fiancee said there is no way she'd get a Cobalt over an Aveo becasue with the higher seating position and more headroom, she felt 'crammed' in the Cobalt compared to the Aveo.

[Jesda]

Dodge has no track record with small cars? The Neon never existed?

[skylark68]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

All Small Cars Are Not Created Equal
Compacts and subcompacts are up 40% in 2008. But in the long run, more than size will matter
by Michael Frank

Toyota Corolla $14,405; 28/37; $1,991; -3%

I'd love to see a Corolla at this price. I went with a friend of mine to Champion Toyota off of I-45 south in Houston to price the new Corolla (he's trying to get out of his '04 Silverado crew cab) and every single one of them was at least $17k or higher. All of them had aftermarket Enkei wheels on them and some kind of paint and fabric protection. If every Toyota dealership is doing this no wonder Corolla sales are down. We left without a new car for him BTW.

[AndrewGS]

The Aveo is down due to supply issues going from the '08 to '09 model with the new engine. '09 Aveos are now arriving at dealers. I'm looking forward to a test drive later in the week.

[Saturn69]

All Small Cars Are Not Created Equal ....nor are they compared fairly or on an equal footing. Anti-American bias is going strong.