High energy costs and growth in emerging markets have automakers scrambling to downsize their product plans, and ultra-small transportation like the VW up! is bound to bring low-cost city cars to the masses. Mazda intends to be a serious player in this burgeoning segment and will unveil the Mazda1 concept in Paris this fall, expected to look like the sketch above and influenced by the Nagare design language.
Mazda promises that the production vehicle will be more "radical" in production trim, though it likely won't carry fuel cells and batteries like the concept. The automaker does plan on offering amenities like navigation, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and the micro will have sliding doors and seats to make getting in and out easier. Mazda engineers are also working hard to make sure the Mazda1 is environmentally friendly, which means low emissions, small powertrains, and low weight. Fortunately, those very same attributes will also help keep costs down, which should help Mazda offer the vehicle everywhere from India and China to more developed regions like Europe and the US.
Countries like China and India are a hotbed for the auto industry, and every major automaker is looking to improve its standing in the emerging markets while they're still on the ground floor. Low-cost micro cars are all the rage in the East, and Nissan/Renault is looking into getting a piece of that action by producing a Nano fighter. Nissan Motor India Director Neeraj Garg told The Times of India that while higher priced sedans and SUVs are also scheduled for India's booming auto market, a low-priced hatch is also on the wishlist if the pricing is right.
Company officials say that the low-cost transportation could be among six new products scheduled for India by 2012, and with the country's low-cost labor, Nissan/Renault could also export any vehicles it makes there.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Nissan Cube.
Let's just get this out of the way right now: this blogger is going to buy one of these cars when they come to America. And I'm a die-hard 385-plus-horsepower sports car owner for years now. And I live in LA. But the Cube is just that great. So Nissan, don't pull a bait-and-switch, please...
The Cube is basic, and makes no attempt to dress it up. In fact, not only is the car not gussied up, but the entire interior of the car I drove was beige. And it was still hot. It's basic done completely right, with tons of cubbies and comfort in an enormous (relatively speaking) cabin and a unified design theme inside and outside that ties it all together.
The 1.5-liter, 107-HP engine has got the giddy-up-and-go, and the car is so much fun to drive that you'll cackle like an old hen every time you throw it around a corner. I admit I won't be buying one in sky blue, and it won't have the third row -- that row is more than a bit optimistic -- but I will have no problem showing everyone I know that "cool" is now spelled "cube."
You can check out the Nissan 360 event site for more details on all the vehicles in Nissan's lineup. In the mean time, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.
Gallery: Nissan 360: the Cube
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.
Click above for more high-res images of the Toyota iQ
Toyota has been working on an affordable small car that will be cost-competitive in emerging markets, and Autocar is reporting that India is being considered as a destination for production. India makes sense due to its low-cost labor, and with competitors like the Tata Nano going for as little as $2,500, the world's biggest automaker will need to cut cost everywhere it can. There is no word as to exactly what vehicle would be produced in India, but one option is Toyota's production iQ from Geneva, which is scheduled to begin production later in 2008. Toyota is looking for initial sales of the iQ to crest 100,000 units.
Years ago in Australia there was a TV commercial for the phone company's yellow pages that featured a man looking for parts for his Goggomobile. Since no one knew what he was talking about, he was always having to spell the car's name. In a Scottish brogue (yes, a Scottish actor in an Aussie ad) he'd repeatedly belt out G-o-g-g-o. Finally, with the help of the yellow pages, he finds a parts supplier who speaks his language. I haven't seen the commercial in years but every once in a while I'll get the urge to don a Scottish accent and spell the car.
In fact, I had never even seen the car until a tipster sent this one in from eBay. Looking like something straight out of the movie Cars, the Goggomobile was a Bavarian micro car built from 1955 to 1969. It has a 2-cylinder, air-cooled engine behind the rear wheels. That powerplant is about 24 cubic inches and gets about 20 hp. You won't get anywhere quickly, but you'll be cute as a button while you're doing it. The seller claims it's one of less than ten in the US. For a slice of exclusivity and Germano-Scotus-Australian history, the bidding begins at $2,000.
The Tiguan is one of eight models making their Frankfurt debut.
Volkswagen is gearing up for Frankfurt and has no intention of disappointing the seething throngs of media-types when it lifts the curtain on its home turf. A total of eight new models will debut, including the Tiguan, six BlueMotion-equipped models and, most intriguing, a new micro car dubbed the City Expert that's equipped with a powerplant that "will beat where the flat-four 'Boxer' engine once did in the Beetle."
We've reported on rumors of a rear-engine vehicle in the past, and although it was easy to dismiss with a shrug, the market is ripe for an ultra-inexpensive model that VW claims is "sensationally flexible." That last part leaves us wondering what kind of body styles the City Expert will be available in, likely a three-door hatch, four-door sedan and five-door wagon. It's safe to expect that luggage space will be at a premium, considering the rear-mounted mill and the radiator, A/C and battery are likely to be fitted up front.
The real question is what kind of motor will fill the trunk, and rumors are beginning to circulate that two- and three-cylinder powerplants will provide motivation. We'll have to wait until next month rolls along to get all the official details, but in the meantime get your speculation caps on and read through the press release after the jump.
GM has been rapidly expanding in countries outside the US, and South Korea-based Daewoo has been a major contributor to the company's growth in developing markets. GM is redoubling their commitment to Daewoo by investing $6 billion in the once bankrupt automaker over the next few years. President and chief executive of GM DAT Michael Grimaldi says the money will be used to expand design, engineering, and for new plants and products. Among the projects on the table are a mini car and a small car, which could mean that some form of the Beat, Trax, or Groove could be in the pipeline. With relatively low labor costs and a free trade agreement with the US, GM Daewoo could expand their role of providing low-cost economy cars to our shores, but with a Chevy badge.
Automotive News has a quick blurb about a new model set to debut from the folks at Toyota during this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. According to AN, Toyota's 3000mm-long microcar will be known as the Endo and will slot in below the Aygo, the smallest vehicle in the automaker's European lineup.
Styling of the SMART-competitor will be similar to the concept that debuted at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, sharing the same name. The seating arrangement of the Endo will be somewhat unconventional, with a 3+1 setup that will seat three adults, along with a smaller, foldable throne behind the driver's seat that can fit a youngin.
Automotive News' inside source says that sales may begin in the summer of 2008, although we wouldn't expect such a vehicle to find its way across the Atlantic – unless SMART starts doing a booming business.
Why you ask? They already have the Yaris taking care of the B-segment market, why on earth would they want to import something even smaller? One word: SMART.
According to Inside Line's sources, Toyota may bring the Aygo, already a popular city-car in Europe, over to the U.S. in two-door form to battle the SMART by DaimlerChrysler. Even though D.C.'s mini-mobile hasn't even hit our shores and proven itself in a viable segment, Toyota may be expecting a blockbuster and doesn't want to be left out in the cold when a possible contender is waiting in the wings.
If Toyota does decide to bring a 'micro' to the States, expect it in 2008, along with the possibility of competition from the usual suspects, Honda, Nissan and Subaru.
Browsing the inventory of The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, we ran across this little beast. Based on BMW's Isetta 3-wheeler, a car barely able to get out of its own way, Weiner's Isetta "Whatta Drag" is, um, considerably quicker than the original model.
A case of life imitating art (or in this case, imitating toys), the Isetta thrill-ride is inspired by a Hot Wheels toy of the same name. Powered by a blown Chevy 502 cubic inch V8 putting out an estimated 730 hp, and weighing all of 1520 lb., we can assume that the demon Isetta has inspiring acceleration capabilities. Although the museum doesn't cite performance figures for the car, it's described as "very very fast" and "very very loud," and we believe it. Top speed is listed as "unknown," which could well mean that the museum has yet to find anyone willing to fully explore the car's performance envelope.
The Whatta Drag Isetta is described as able to "smoke any other microcar out there," and we don't doubt it for a moment. And with 730 hp driving just one 285/35 rear tire, we're betting that "smoke" would be the operative word... And of course, where there's smoke there's fire - the car is fitted with a switch that lets the driver throw flames out about 4 feet on each side.
More pics after the jump! Follow the link to browse the museum's collection - it's an amazing place.
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