We're going smaller and smaller

Oct 20 2008 Ian Johnson

THE slide towards smaller cars has picked up such momentum that it is in danger of becoming an avalanche.

And in some cases it is getting more difficult to help the planet and your pocket. I heard recently of a driver keen to trade in a large German saloon in an attempt to buy something that was cheaper to run and found that a dealership would not take it for part exchange.

It was not as though there was anything wrong with the car, it was because the dealer admitted that he could not sell it.

Some interesting figures have been released by a motoring website which show that customer interest is focusing on smaller and cheaper cars. For instance, the smaller Ford Fiesta overtook the larger Focus.

The Vauxhall Corsa sits at number three, Volkswagen Golf at number four, Renault Clio at number five and Ford Ka at number eight. And not a sniff of a Mondeo.

Of the top 10 most popular searches, six are mini-segment cars.

This corroborates recent data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) which revealed that the small car sector was the only one to grow in September.

Are we seeing the end of the larger reasonably priced saloon? I certainly hope not but market forces exert a powerful influence on manufacture.