Small Cars

Having acquired a controlling interest in Daihatsu back in 1988, Toyota is now taking it over completely and entrusting it with developing a new generation of small cars.

You don't need a twin-tank, mammoth SUV to find huge driving range these days. Going for 600+ miles between fill-ups is a breeze for these top ten competitors in the compact-or-smaller classes.

Following up on its report on which carmakers it found to be the most and least reliable, Consumer Reports has released its predicted reliability ratings based on vehicle type. Those at the top are a varied crew but mostly adhere to one theme: they're small, or small for their segment. Hatchbacks with good fuel economy (like Toyota's Jonathon Ramsey

Life is not fair. That's about the only rational explanation we can offer for this little fact of life: A low MSRP is likely to mean big insurance payments.

Toyota's extensive portfolio of subsidiaries includes the brand Daihatsu, a relatively unknown name here in the States. Daihatsu offers a lineup of budget vehicles, mostly hatchbacks, and sells some models, such as the Altis, which is nothing more than a rebadged Toyota Camry. Daihatsu focuses on minicars, often offered at rock bottom pric

2011 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery

2010 Chevrolet Spark – Click above for high-res image gallery

Peel P-50 and Trident pose with a Rolls-Royce – Click above for high-res image gallery

2011 Infiniti QX56 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Betting on small cars...

Chrysler's international sales in both the minivan and pickup categories are strong, but the company lacks strong small vehicle sales outside of the U.S. In Canada, Chrysler may be fairing well in the light truck market, but is virtually non-existent in both the B-segment and the C-segment of passenger cars. With limited international success in the small car market, Chrysler struggles to gain a strong foothold. B-segment and C-segment vehicl

Despite rumors of Daimler and Renault collaborating on a four-door Smart model, no official tie-up between the two companies has been announced. That could change next year when Daimler will reportedly decide who its small-car partner will be. Daimler is getting even more heavily into the development of small cars, both with its Smart brand and the Jonathon Ramsey

Despite rumors of Daimler and Renault collaborating on a four-door Smart model, no official tie-up between the two companies has been announced. That could change next year when Daimler will reportedly decide who its small-car partner will be. Daimler is getting even more heavily into the development of small cars, both with its Smart brand and the Jonathon Ramsey

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.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze - Click above for high-res image gallery

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 while they make driving more comfortable and save lives. Of course, technology has helped us recover some fuel economy, but nothing beats a low scale presence to help make your car a fuel sipper. When you click after the jump, we'll show you a list of Europe's 15 lightest cars. They're all under the 1

Click the Mazda2 for a high-res gallery

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 AutoblogGreen and all. Some people, though, are finding that they miss their larger fuel-guzzlers more than they had initially expected. It's easy to hate a car when pulling up to the gas pump and dumping a hundred bucks or more into the tank every week, and it's also likely pretty easy to forget th

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 Automotive News that the Dearborn automaker is staying the course on its plan to introduce a half dozen new smaller vehicles in the U.S. market in the next couple of years. The respite in fuel prices may give Ford some breathing space on the launch of its new F-150 pickup truck. Last week the company anno

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 recent study suggests that small cars and hybrids are considerably more expensive to insure on average than their larger and hungrier