You are here: Forums Automotive News & Views What is "wrong" with these new subcompacts?

What is "wrong" with these new subcompacts?

8669 messages,  Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:28 PM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires

What is this discussion about? Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, smart fortwo, MINI Cooper

#8336 of 8669 the king has fallen! by nippononly Apr 20, 2009 (7:07 am)
To restart sales, Mini turns to incentives   April 20, 2009 - 12:01 am ET   With sales plunging for the first time, Mini USA has violated its no-incentive rule for the past few months with a low-interest financing offer that the brand continues to sweeten.   BMW AG's premium small-car brand lowered its incentive to 1.9 percent for 36 months through this month. And starting in April, the company offered the same rate to customers whose FICO credit scores border on subprime.    .....In February, Mini turned to incentives out of frustration.   .....Mini's sales rose 28.6 percent to 54,077 units in 2008. But sales this year have fallen every month and declined 16.2 percent to 8,513 in the first quarter.   http://www.autonews.com/article/20090420/ANA06/304209975/1078 (registration link)   If Mini can't sell Coopers, the subcompact craze may come to an end before it has begun!   Toyota has had cash back on the Yaris for a number of months now, and that has to hurt on a model that not only has such small margins but also is built in Japan and imported, making it subject to losses from the yen exchange rate. Honda doesn't incentivize the Fit, but inventory has risen as the slowing auto market began to impact it as well.   I hope Ford and VW don't see this and chicken out of bringing over the Fiesta and (potentially ) Polo.
#8337 of 8669 "Hey, that's not fair!" by steve_ HOST Apr 20, 2009 (9:13 am)
"Big trumps little in any crash. I get it. So the IIHS seems to say we should try to buy as much safety as we can. So we buy a Yukon in case, if we're crossing an intersection, and some idiot runs the red light and runs into us, we will be protected.   But what if we're driving the Yukon through an intersection and decide we really need to make a cell phone call at this very moment. We reach for the cell phone, miss the light and run into a Smart car. We might just say, "Did I hit a speed bump or something?" and just go on with the phone call.   In other words, we've become safer by endangering other people. Another way of putting it is, larger cars foster a false sense of security and promote reckless behavior. That's clear by watching which vehicle type has the most aggressive drivers. I have my own ideas but I'm sure two vehicle classes are crowding to the front of your mind right now."   Small Car Safety: Where Do You Draw the Line on Your Responsibility? (Edmunds Daily)   Replies to this message: andre1969 (Apr 20, 2009 9:18 am)
#8338 of 8669 Re: "Hey, that's not fair!" [steve_] by andre1969 Apr 20, 2009 (9:18 am)
Replying to: steve_ (Apr 20, 2009 9:13 am) I have my own ideas but I'm sure two vehicle classes are crowding to the front of your mind right now."   BMW owners and motorcycle riders?
#8339 of 8669 Well... by kyfdx HOST Apr 20, 2009 (9:58 am)
It kind of sucks that the cheapest, most fuel efficient cars have some of the highest insurance rates.. And, the big, bad, terrible SUVs have the lowest..   So... buy a small car to save on fuel, and pay more for insurance...   The question for all the black helicopter fans: Are economy car insurance rates higher because of higher insurance payouts, or some sort of red-lining of lower income clients? Replies to this message: andre1969 (Apr 20, 2009 10:18 am) kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 10:21 am) nippononly (Apr 20, 2009 12:32 pm) and 1 more...
#8340 of 8669 Re: Well... [kyfdx] by andre1969 Apr 20, 2009 (10:18 am)
Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 9:58 am) The question for all the black helicopter fans: Are economy car insurance rates higher because of higher insurance payouts, or some sort of red-lining of lower income clients?   I dunno...my insurance rate has tended to be affected more by my driving record, age (dropped when I turned 30, again when I turned 35, and I think it drops again when I turn 40), where I live (it went up when I moved to a different zipcode in 2004), and distance to work (always fairly close...had been about 13 miles, now 3.5), rather than the type of car I had.   But then, I've never had a small car. The smallest car I've ever owned was a 1988 LeBaron turbo coupe, but I was married then and got a cheaper rate. I think that car was around $800-900 per year for full coverage. Replies to this message: kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 10:21 am) nippononly (Apr 20, 2009 12:32 pm) kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 6:42 pm)
#8341 of 8669 Re: Well... [andre1969] by kyfdx HOST Apr 20, 2009 (10:21 am)
Replying to: andre1969 (Apr 20, 2009 10:18 am) I traded a CR-V for an Impreza, and my rates went up 25% on that car.. The Subaru (base 4-cyl) is more than our BMW X3...   I thought I just picked the wrong car, until I started looking at State Farm's website.. Within each make, the SUV models are almost always the cheapest rates, and economy cars the highest.   The comparisons were with all other factors being equal (same driver, same commute, etc). Replies to this message: nippononly (Apr 20, 2009 12:32 pm) kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 6:42 pm)
#8342 of 8669 Ratings by kyfdx HOST Apr 20, 2009 (10:26 am)
State Farm make/model insurance ratings Replies to this message: ateixeira (Apr 21, 2009 7:26 am) kyfdx (Apr 21, 2009 7:51 am) ateixeira (Apr 21, 2009 10:40 am)
#8343 of 8669 One reason... by andre1969 Apr 20, 2009 (10:39 am)
that big trucks and SUVs might carry such low premiums is simply because the majority of accidents are single-car accidents. So in the overall scheme of things, how much damage a big hulking Yukon can do to a petite little Aveo, or any car for that matter, is relatively moot. Of course, that's little consolation if you happen to get hit by one!
#8344 of 8669 Re: Well... [kyfdx] by nippononly Apr 20, 2009 (12:32 pm)
Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 10:21 am) It also may be no coincidence that the Impreza is built in Japan while the CRV and X3 are built here. That makes replacement parts cheaper for the BMW and Honda than for the cheapest-of-the-three Impreza, which is a factor in your rates for collision and comp.   None of the subs sold here today are built here. Honda may be the first to change that, with their current plans to open a new plant here. Of course, that may be on hold, I can't recall the last thing I read on that.   By contrast, most compacts sold here are built in North America.... Replies to this message: kyfdx (Apr 20, 2009 6:42 pm)
#8345 of 8669 Re: Well... [nippononly] by kyfdx HOST Apr 20, 2009 (6:42 pm)
Replying to: nippononly (Apr 20, 2009 12:32 pm) Hmm... X3 is built in Austria... The new model (whenever that happens) will be constructed in South Carolina, but almost all of the parts will still come from Germany (80% or more).   Most older CR-Vs were built in England and Japan... It's just the new model that's being built here..   I'm going with the demographics theory... , though it's likely a combination of many factors..

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