If gasoline prices continue their upward trend, buyers in the US may have a new Minicar to use for basic transportation (or as the ball in games of SUV polo). John Middlebrook, General Motors' VP of global sales says the US could be part of a global expansion of the newly redesigned Matiz, particularly if automotive economizing emerges as a nationwide trend. Middlebrook's statement reiterates one made by Nick Reilly, CEO of GM Daewoo Automotive Technology, back in January, that the US market, particularly in urban areas, could be ready for the Miniscule model, which would have to sell 20,000 a year in the US to be viable. Still, it may take some seriously funny commercials to get Americans to overlook the possiblility of being punted across an intersection by an out-of-control Hummer, in a car the size of their dishwasher.
Middlebrook: Matiz Could Make It to U.S. [The Car Connection]
Related:
Is the US Market Getting the Ford Fiesta in 2007? [internal]
Subaru Launches R1 Minicar in Japan [internal]