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Small-car surge stymies auto electronics growth

Over the last decade, the electronic content of new cars has climbed steadily as features like navigation, satellite radio, MP3 and Bluetooth interfaces have become increasingly common, even on mainstream models. However, this year's recession combined with the dramatic slow down in overall sales has, at least temporarily, put the brakes on electronics growth. The market in many regions has shifted toward smaller, less expensive cars and buyers are selecting fewer options. The average value of electronic control units has jumped from ... Read more →

Europe's 15 lightest cars Xavier Navarro

One of the keys to saving fuel is being light. However, the latest technologies in safety and the array of power accessories we all have in our cars all add weight to our cars, hurting fuel economy ...

Mazda2 may come to America after all Sam Abuelsamid

When the new Mazda2 debuted at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show many of us were disappointed to learn that it probably would not be coming to the US market. Times have changed, though, and It now looks ...

Vehicle downsizers now facing buyers remorse Jeremy Korzeniewski

A lot is lost in the transition from a Hummer to a smart. We tend to focus on the benefits: the lost fuel bills and reduced vehicular emissions, and that's not going to change any time soon, we being ...

Mulally remains committed to Ford small car strategy despite low gas prices Sam Abuelsamid

Even though gasoline prices are down to almost $2 per gallon around here as election day approaches, Ford CEO Alan Mulally apparently doesn't think the current situation will last. Mulally told ...

Small cars, hybrids more expensive to insure 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

If your goal is to do nothing more than cutting down your petroleum usage for either political or environmental reasons, a small car or hybrid seems to be the way to go. If your desire is solely to save money, there are many more costs to factor into your decision. One of them is insurance, as a ...

Small cars can be safe. Just ask Nick Chambers 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Worried that the trend towards smaller cars in the United States is going to result in more injuries? It's a rational concern, especially for those who are used to driving in full-size cars, trucks and SUVs and are normally surrounded by two or more tons of metal. But, light weight does not ...

Chrysler may be teaming up with China's Great Wall for small car 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Chrysler's much ballyhooed deal with China's Chery Motors to build small cars hasn't yielded much of value for the Auburn Hills manufacturer yet. Chrysler offers a Dodge-branded version of the Chery A1 in South America, but no new cars have emerged yet. It looks like Chrysler may now be working ...

GM hopes to make more money on smaller cars 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The General, along with the rest of the American automakers, has a long established history of making the most profits from the largest vehicles. Small cars from the Detroit 3 have therefore fallen way behind the imports when it comes to desirability. GM Global Design Chief Ed Welburn went so far as ...

Auto Week recommends the four cylinder engine 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 MINI Cooper Clubman Does good fuel mileage necessarily equal poor performance? Must low emission regulations put an end to driving enjoyment? No, of course not. The days of fuel-sipping penalty boxes are long gone, as even today's crop of hybrid vehicles ...

Toyota believes it has higher iQ 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

click the Toyota iQ for high res gallery With the rather healthy sales numbers currently being posted by the smart fortwo in the U.S., Toyota seems very excited about the prospect of offering its iQ here. Still, the tiny car will be launched first in Japan, followed by Europe at the beginning of ...

Study commissioned by Land Rover finds small cars are bad for the environment 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Starting February, small cars will be exempt from the London congestion charge, a priviledge currently only accorded to electric, biofuel and hybrids. A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research commissioned by Land Rover found this could result in more cars (up to 10,000 more) ...

Will Americans fit into small cars? 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The Wall Street Journal just wrote an article asking if coupes are making a come back. Coupes are small, two seat cars (sometimes 2+2). Over the summer, the Journal told us that the last 12 months made up the "year of the crossover." Crossover vehicles are an SUV's body styling on a car frame. ...

John McElroy on Autoblog: Small cars get big 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The topic of cheap cars has come up on our pages before, and John McElroy has shared his thoughts on the topic over at Autoblog. It looks like John will be contributing over at our sister site on a somewhat regular basis, this is his first posting. McElroy is the host of Autoline Detroit which you ...

Small cars to be big part of Ford comeback 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Click on the photo for a high-res gallery of the Mazda2 Ford has only sold small B-Class cars in the US market sporadically over the past thirty years. They sold the European Fiesta in the early eighties and the Kia-built Festiva and Aspire in the early nineties. Making money on those cars has ...

Ford merges B-Car teams into one global team out of Europe 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the new Mazda2 Ford has already confirmed that the US lineup will be getting a new car smaller than the Focus sometime within the next twenty-four months, and that car will based on the platform of the new Mazda2 that was unveiled at the Geneva ...

Photo Gallery: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Drive small cars. 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

I met a guy at the Motor Trend Community Forum who recently took a trip to Rome. While he was there, he took many pictures, and many of them were in an attempt to find the smallest cars in Rome that people actually drive. Look at the Gallery, you will see some classics like the Fiat 500, and some ...

Why aren't US-based car makers already building great small cars? 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

Automotive News publisher Keith Crain has a column up today telling the US car-makers to start working on small cars now. Mr. Crain doesn't go nearly far enough. The fact that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler don't have competitive B-class cars in the US market today is totally inexcusable. They ...

Consumers already forgetting high gas prices, online searches for large vehicles increase 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

File under: damn, that was fast. According to two online car buying research sites – Cars.com and CarMax – consumer searches for larger vehicles (trucks and SUVs) rose in September. National average for gas prices have dropped from over $3 a gallon in August to around $2.30 a gallon ...

Small cars gaining technology to get desirable 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

There are many reasons why small, fuel-efficient cars often sold poorly in the US market from the mid 1980s until relatively recently. Cheap gas was certainly one very important reason. Once the memory of the last energy crisis of the 1979-80 period faded, there just wasn't much of an incentive to ...

Would you buy a small car if it matches large car amenities? 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

The Case family, on their recent trip to the UK, had a chance to check out some European cars which, unlike in the U.S., "small" was not synonymous with "economical" and "cheap". Loyd Case discovered the Mercedes-Benz A190, a four-door hatchback which is the first Benz said he's ever fallen in ...

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