http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/compact http://jalopnik.com/tag/compact

With the 2010 Toyota Prius moving to the mid-size category and the 2010 Honda Insight undercutting it on price, it's logical a new compact Toyota hybrid is in the works for late 2011. Reuters has the details. [Reuters] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5324634&view=rss&microfeed=true

The fate of the Chevy Beat is still in limbo for US markets, but as we see here, that isn't stopping the ongoing development of the latest GM minicar. The Beat gets a buddy for some hot weather testing and we get a look at the interior for the first time. For a subcompact, it's hard to be surprised by the spartan accommodations and the long-handled shifter, but we do like the floating gauge pod mounted directly to what appears to be a tilting steering column. Coupled with a high seating arrangement and supposedly true-to-concept styling, the Beat is shaping up to be more than your average econo-beater. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5039470&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sure, they're not only not cool, but we really can't stand them, but some of the most efficient vehicles on the market are five-door subcompacts and eight-passenger minivans. So what happens what you combine the two? Well, if you're Honda, you start with a Jazz, or as it's known in America, the Honda Fit, and then make it just a touch bigger to fit a third row of seats. Then, swap in some rear sliding doors, and you've got yourself a compact minivan that can seat up to eight people. But just how mini is it? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=394218&view=rss&microfeed=true

Citroën's entry in the Frankfurt auto show conceptual derby is a high-style, environmentally sensitive compact the company would sell at the same price as its C4 model. As Citroën notes in a press release, keeping down costs while emphasizing style and technology is a complex equation made square in the C-Cactus concept by stripping out all of the prototype's non-essential parts — like the dashboard. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=295929&view=rss&microfeed=true

Rising gas prices are unsurprisingly prompting consumers to look towards more efficient motoring choices, according to J.D. Powers. The shift towards four-bangers and compact machines new and used is broad in scope, but gradual in speed. These same consumers are evidently in no great hurry to trade in their F-350 Super Duty for a used Daihatsu Fellow. – Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=263350&view=rss&microfeed=true

According to AutoWeek, Kia may be leading the race up from the bottom, with a new entry-level Rio that's larger, quicker and better stocked than the econobox it replaces. With few competitors in the $10,000-$15,000 range, Kia has a relatively open field, at least until new minicars from Toyota and Honda hit the market sometime next year. That means Kia's introduction of features such as variable valve timing, six standard airbags and optional ABS, which will soon become the expected entry kit, are an important step, though the company expects 70 percent of sales to come from the well-appointed LX model, which starts at $12,985. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=127004&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nissan executives say the US won't see a version of its current Japan-only Cube, nor will it get a facsimile of its Japan-only Tilda. It will, however, get a new entry-level hatchback (in summer 2006) and sedan (2007) based on the Renault-derived platform responsible for Nissan's Sport Concept, unveiled in March at the New York Auto Show. The North American newbies, which will be built in Mexico, will bring new competition to Toyota's Scion lineup, and likely new commercials featuring someone working the turntables and someone else "busting" a "move" of sorts. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=121892&view=rss&microfeed=true