Sunday, August 26, 2007

As cars get smaller, their sales get bigger


Buyers weigh their savings, safety
By JENNIFER LANGSTON P-I REPORTER
As a mobile yoga teacher, Jodi Boone could spend her days searching for parking in one densely populated neighborhood after another.
But with her neon blue Chevrolet Aveo, she snaps up the tiny spots that most drivers just give up on.
Good gas mileage and convenience while driving in the city factored into her decision to buy the little hatchback last year. Above all, she needed a low price.
"It felt like an affordable alternative -- the poor person's Prius," said Boone, who paid about $10,000 for her Aveo last year.
She's not alone.

For buyers gravitating toward some of the tiniest cars on the U.S. market, fuel economy is part of the equation, but people are just as likely to be swayed by price or the growing cachet of small cars, experts say. However, small-car drivers also are more likely to die on the road, as minicars offer varying degrees of safety protection, experts say.

Read full story here.

1 comment:

Ralph B. said...

I just posted about this chart as well! (see www.smallcar.ca) It's nice to find another Torontonian blogger with an interest in small cars. I actually stumbled across your blog due to my other interest: scooters. The acronym used as your blog title is a little deceptive!