Does anybody here really think these city cars will take off? Who is going to buy these tiny vehicles? I know the Smart is selling well but I believe these are just trendy cute cars and have no staying power. Even if gas gets to $4 in the next couple years I just do not see these on the expressways. Yes, there will be a market but pretty tiny? It is cute though. Real chick car?

And now we have an electric version that will go 50 miles on one charge. As we well informed LLN readers know 80% of the people drive less than 40 miles round trip every day for work so 50 mile range will satisfy that requirement but what if you have to go pickup your kid after school and take them to soccer?

Perhaps aligning itself with a movie may prove to be a good move!

That yellow space-mobile looks like a complete joke. I hope to never see one on the road…

Scions are for losers. Glorified Toyotas with a cheaper pricetag and worse reliability. It is embarrassing to be seen in them. Buy A Chevrolet Aveo if you want a small car with perfect reliability and outstanding quality.

Buy American. Buy GM.

Nobody expected Smart to sell at all and it did. If recession will ease and price of gas will go up – iQ will star selling, not like condoms, but in sufficient numbers to justify cost of entry. If economy will suck, iQ still might sell due to low price. I can’t imagine it being purchased in Texas or Idaho, but in coastal states with large density of population and traffic congestion it is reasonable commuter car. heck with 2 passengers it even good for commuter lanes in CA and MA.

A premium turd is still a turd. Maybe that’s why the word ‘funky’ comes up so much.

Borat, there’s one guy who expected Smart to sell and his name is Penske.

Purpose built vehicles are gaining popularity. City cars (Mini, Smart, IQ, 500, small electric) fit in tiny parking spaces (think of the street spaces that are less than a full-size car) and carry limited passengers & cargo. Large SUV’s carry much more and are suited for family, suburban and freeway use. The Volt, Prius, Insight and other smaller hybrids excel in high mileage freeway and city commuting. The question becomes- will GM have a product for the City Car segment (the Volt will be priced outside of this segment)? Ford will have the Fiesta and Chrysler will have Fiat’s 500.

This is basically a Toyota so I don’t really know why you say its reliability will be less then a Toyota. Toyota’s are known for their good reliability. A Chevy Aveo isn’t that good anyway. NMOFGM your just very stubborn !!

Dear Lord almighty. They only get uglier every year. I hated Scion when they first came out, I didn’t think anyone could out-ugly the xB until Nissan came out with the Cube. I’m not against small city cars, but please stop making these retarded looking things…

Did anyone forget to remind NMOFGM that the Chevy Aveo is actually a rebadged Suzuki? And Suzuki is a Japanese company with assembly plants also in Korea, which is where the car is built. Therefore NMOFGM, the Aveo is NOT and American car or design. It is a Korean made car based on Japanese designs.

I can see a market for these purpose built city cars. I can’t imagine sharing the interstate with 18 wheelers in one of these though. Guess that’s why I don’t have a motorcycle either. Nobody should be surprised when the crash tests don’t hold up well to larger vehicles.

2wheeledspeed:
I agree. I saw a cube the other day and the only words that could come out of my mouth were WTF. As for this butt ugly thing the same goes WTF.

We are beginning to see many new cars that are answers to questions nobody has asked. Yes, there is a small market for these ultra small cars. Just like there is a small market for niche vehicles like the upcoming Volt. But if its to small, or to expensive(Volt), it won’t sell in volume in the US. Now as far as NMOFGM, why do you even comment on his posts? He or she just makes these idiotic statements to get a rise out of people…

Borat, this will surprise the hell out of you, but Dallas was one of the hottest selling spots for the ForTwo. There are a lot of city dwellers and urbanites in those parts that are all into the ecovision crap. Texas definitely isn’t what it used to be, that’s for sure.

As far as this goes, the original iQ was decent, but this yellow Scion version is hideous. Bring me the Aston Martin version of the iQ, as it is at least decent looking. Concerning the EV version, Smart’s ForTwo ED has been in real world testing for some time, and has been said to have a minimum range of 75 miles on a single charge. If the iQ EV is priced anywhere close to the ForTwo ED (supposed to be coming to the US in 2012 as well), the only two trade-offs would be an extra seat for 25 miles less, and of course the looks.

Carstuff, chicks buy more cars than we realize. Chick cars sell like crazy (Corolla), so don’t discount them. Sure, they aren’t for enthusiasts, but enthusiasts cars are more of a niche market than chick cars are. You make a great point with the 50 mile range, though. For me, it’s perfect (15 mile round trip – no freeway), but for most inner-city commuters, 50 miles may not cut it. They would be charging the thing every night. I’d be able to go several days in between charges, but I’m in a decent situation regarding my commute. I consider myself lucky. However, we’ll just have to wait and see what the market decides.

Francois, you must be new here. Pay no mind to NMOFGM. He’s nothing but a tool.

ricky_b….you are *almost* right… the Aveo was actually designed and built by Daewoo, not Suzuki. That said, as someone who has a Daewoo in the family…..the car will have problems with every component but the driving bits…so your A/C will die, radio die, various interior trims fall off, but the engine will still somehow chuga-chug-chug.

But back on topic, those of you who are saying “This is too small / who will buy this?”…you are obviously not city folk and this car isn’t meant for you, so move on and buy another F150/Silverado. I live in a city of 8 or 9 million and I can see a clear advantage to having a small car. Not to mention that gas in cities is more expensive, therefore small car also equals better fuel economy, which is also a huge plus.

DUH to the “premium price” strategy.. of course it will retail at a higher price than the Yaris (due to higher costs and lower volume).. but I would assume it will become the price leader for the Scion brand, since the xD is already a “premium” version of the Yaris 5-door, with which it now shares showroom space.

I saw this car at the New York car show, It had a large crowd around it. I thought it looked great. I think i will take the electric version and my kid can walk home from soccer practice.

You’ll be walking home as well once the car breaks down for the umpteenth time. This is a Toyota afterall. A Chevrolet Aveo would be a much better choice for you. Infinitely more reliable and way better build quality than any POS Toyoda

GM. AN American Revolution

Johny, Penske amassed a huge automotive empire. He introduced Subaru to US and to be fair he also brought us Yugo. And based on what I know, he did it by driving fast and furious.

beatusmongous, Dallas is not a surprise, nor any other large town. I meant Texas as ranch land, and great open spaces. OK, I should use Alaska as a reference point

Well with Toyota bringing over the IQ and Fiat with its 500 coming then I think its time Ford decides to bring over the KA to compete in that arena as well.

Both I and the rest of america absolutely thinks there is a market for these ultra small cars. Think of it people. If you do live in the city your taxed by the city several ways for owning any car period as a matter of fact its a liability the larger the car gets. Larger vehicles are harder to park in the city, less manuverable in tight spots of which their are plenty besides parking. I live in the city and these things will take off here for sure.

Maybe its good if cars get smaller then I can run over all the Bicycle idiots that hog the road and dont pay a gas tax to maintain the roads. Maybe they’ll survive the impact.

This car is the first to come along with the potential charisma to put a dent in Mini sales.

instead of companies competing for performance numbers, seems they are now going for “ugliest ‘wtf’ was that car”… toyota and nissan seem to be paving the way
.. i never thought the day would come that a company would sell a new car in NA that i could say, “wow, the PT Cruiser wasnt really all THAT bad”

Finally a real news story!

If this car can get 40MPG city, it will be a huge hit!
Easy to park, should cost about the same as a Yaris 3 door
About $2k less than an xD
Plenty of safety
Perfect for the little girl going to college

Expect 5-6k units a month
Just what Scion needs
DrFill

I disagree, Dr. Fill. It’s hideous in this iteration.

Need more oil for GM is exactly why I will never buy another automobile made by GM. Unions and their forced pay scale have cost the America people a great car company. Hanging on GM worshipers don’t stand a chance in the coming years. GM has done terrible keeping pace with what America needs and not what Detroit wants. Seems to me Ford Motor Company is the only American car company with any sense left in management. Just think, I once owned a 1967 tri-power 427 Corvette, when gas only cost $0.24 a gallon. We will not be seeing that again.

I drive a Scion and my wife drives a Nissan, both are better cars, in my opinion, than anything I see on the American lots. Since it is my opinion that pays for my automobiles, the American car manufacturers are out of luck.