We're all riding the small-car wave

John LeBlanc

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Europeans have always enjoyed some major distinctions from us colonialists here on the other side of the Atlantic: football with no helmets, stinky cheese and people who actually ride their bikes to work.

But now, with the trend toward smaller cars and the globalization of product development, more than ever North American and European new car buyers are shopping from the same basket. Several of the top selling European cars are — or will be — available to Canadians as well.

In 2009, the compact Volkswagen Golf kept its position as Europe's best-selling new car for the second year in a row, selling over 571,000 units, up almost 30 per cent from the previous year.

The subcompact Ford Fiesta (virtually the same model arriving here in Canada this summer) was second. Sales were about 100,000 less than the more popular VW, but up 44 per cent, nonetheless, moving ahead of the Peugeot 207 and Renault Clio, which rounded out Europe's top five, according to U.K.-based market researchers JATO Consult.

Five out of Europe's six largest automakers finished 2009 on a positive note.

Volkswagen, Peugeot-Citroen, Ford, Renault and Fiat either had flat sales or made a single-digit percentage gain last year compared with 2008, according to new-car registrations data from European automakers association ACEA.

The only automaker in the top six to decline was General Motors. Its Opel, Chevrolet and Saab brands were down a combined 9 per cent to 1.4 million units in 2009.

Most of the sales upswings came from rebates. The European government-sponsored incentives created used-car buyers into new-car buyers as they traded-in their old cars for newer, more fuel-efficient models such as the Fiesta.

Ford takes hard look

at compact truck

Should Ford abandon the compact truck market in North America? That's a question the Detroit automaker's executives are currently trying to figure out with its aging Ranger junior pickup.

According to Pickuptrucks.com, Ford believes that most customers use their Ranger on a day-to-day basis like a regular car, rather than taking advantage of its inherent utility.

The thinking goes: a more fuel-efficient V6 version of the full-size F-150 (currently being worked on) and new global small cars like the Fiesta and Focus could meet the needs of most Ranger buyers in the U.S. and Canada.

Right now, the most fuel-efficient 2010 Ranger is the base model, rear-wheel drive 2.3-litre four-cylinder with a five-speed manual transmission. It's rated at 9.9 L/100 km (29 mpg) city, 7.5 L (38 mpg) hwy. With an automatic, the numbers climb to 10.6 L and 8.8 L (27/32 mpg).

That's a lot better than most fuel efficient F-150s. With a V8, it gets 14.3 L and 9.6 L (20/29 mpg) respectively.

But even if the U.S.-made Ranger is canned, Ford has a Plan B.

It could apply the same global platform strategy it's employing with its cars.

Development is still ongoing in Australia on the next-gen version of the foreign-market Ranger, a model completely different from that sold in North America.

General Motors studies

an all-electric Volt

Chevrolet's much-hyped Volt extended range gasoline-electric hybrid doesn't go on sale until later this year in the U.S. and about a year from now in Canada. But parent General Motors is already looking at a purely electric version.

During this year's Detroit auto show media days, General Motors vice-chairman Bob Lutz told ABC News the automaker would indeed proceed with production version of a battery-only Volt.

From the car's outset, GM has said the Volt's architecture was designed to "accommodate a number of variants as technology developed," including a fuel cell range extender and a battery-driven electric powertrain.

Now with the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus electric vehicles announced, GM wants to see a purely electric Volt sooner than later.

Of course, like with all of these new EVs, the big question will be: how far can I drive until I have to plug it in? It's no surprise the electric range will depend heavily on the driver and driving conditions.

For example, Lutz reportedly told reporters that when driving a pre-production Volt home recently during some cold weather in Michigan, he only got about 45 km on a charge, considerably less than the 64-km range the automaker has touted.

New, small car coming

from Mitsubishi?

While Mitsubishi Canada made big news last week at the Montreal auto show with the announcement that 50 of its i-MiEV electric vehicles will hit the roads in Québec next year, the next big news from the Japanese automaker may be a new, small vehicle.

Set to debut at this year's Geneva auto show in March is the new Mitsubishi ASX, a five-door crossover smaller than the current, mid-size Outlander. It looks about the same size as another diminutive crossover heading our way, the Mini Countryman, and the existing Suzuki SX4.

During this year's Los Angeles auto show, Mitsubishi mentioned it would bring a subcompact to North America in 2010.

Logic said that car would be the next version of the Colt. But the ASX may arrive first.

On sale in Europe next month, the ASX will come with a 1.8-litre turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder diesel engine featuring "Automatic Stop & Go" technology and a six-speed manual transmission.

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