Auto Trends

The Mazda Verisa is a tall wagon or mini MPV, a five passenger five door hatchback that is currently being sold exclusively in Japan. The company has no plans to export this model.

With $4 per gallon gasoline now the norm, motorists are scrambling for ways to save on fuel including trading in their larger rides for vehicles that are much more manageable. Demand for the hybrid Toyota Prius, the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and other small cars is up sharply. On the other hand, dealers can’t get rid of trucks and SUVs without discounting them by $10,000 or more. How much things have changed!

Ford announced last week that the company was going to overhaul its product line by instituting a “One Ford” program whereby many of the vehicles the company now builds and sells in separate markets will be sold worldwide, including tiny cars destined for the US. GM is going to build the subcompact Chevrolet Cruze at an Ohio facility and Chrysler is working with Nissan to provide a small car by about 2010 for the US market. Within the next two years, the face of the US auto market will be quite different!

One company that is in good shape is Mazda as they avoided doing what the Big Three as well as Toyota and Nissan have done: build big trucks and SUVs. Because the company is partnered with Ford, a Mazda version of the F-Series was possible, but the company chose to concentrate on smaller vehicles. This decision has paid off as Mazda is weathering the economic downturn and shifting customer tastes quite well.

Like Ford, GM, Toyota, Nissan, and the rest, several models that Mazda sells elsewhere aren’t sold in the US including the Mazda Verisa, a five passenger, five door hatchback built exclusively for the Japanese market. This car is powered by an economical 1.5L DOHC I4 engine that is paired with a four speed automatic transmission. Front wheel drive or electronic all wheel drive, the Mazda Verisa achieves gas mileage numbers of about 42 mpg!

Unfortunately, Mazda has no plans to import the little Verisa, a shame considering its interior roominess and attractive style. Best of all, its price of $16-18K is quite good and with its high fuel numbers, the Mazda Verisa would be a good car for many commuters.

Though the Mazda Verisa isn’t coming stateside, the upcoming Ford Fiesta shares the Verisa’s platform. So, if you’re looking for something cute, affordable, and thrifty, you can get the Verisa in the form of the all-new 2010 Ford Fiesta!

The Hyundai Genesis is the most upscale car from the Korean automaker ever. Sales start this fall for the sedan and next year for the coupe.

I’ve been critical of Hyundai for the past two decades though I will say that the company has made great strides when it comes to quality. After all, the Hyundai Excel which came stateside in 1987 isn’t a fair measuring tool on how the Korean automaker is holding up. Rather, vehicles like the Sonata, Entourage, and very soon the Genesis are the best examples of what Hyundai is making today.

Speaking of the Genesis, the one problem I have with this beautiful car is that it is going to be called a Hyundai. No slap at the Hyundai name, but when you’re trying to go upmarket with your products you need to develop a fresh line to market your goods. Toyota has done that successfully with Lexus, Honda with Acura, and Nissan with Infiniti. That’s why you see a clear delineation between Cadillac and Chevrolet and should see the same between Ford and Lincoln (unfortunately not enough of one).

The Genesis coupe is going to be a different beast then the sedan, a rear wheel driven vehicle that the company expects will compete with the best that BMW, Audi, and Mercedes can throw at it. A tall order indeed to step on Teutonic turf, but that is exactly what Hyundai has in mind with the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Toward making the Genesis Coupe a legitimate performance car, Edmunds is reporting that the company is already working with aftermarket tuners to measure the coupe. 20 aftermarket product companies were invited to Hyundai’s North American headquarters in Fountain Valley, California last week to review the coupe including suppliers who might provide seat covers and performance parts.

The move is unusual as the production Genesis Coupe won’t hit the market until 2009, but Hyundai is attempting to establish the car right away as a serious contender. Given that performance enthusiasts enjoy tweaking and customizing their rides, available aftermarket parts and accessories could be available as soon as the Genesis Coupe hits Hyundai showrooms.

Hyundai plans to offer a pair of powerplants in the coupe including a 310-hp 3.8-liter V6 and a 223-hp, 2.0-liter, turbocharged, inline four-cylinder. Production begins this December with 2010 models arriving in dealerships in February 2009. Prices haven’t been established but are expected to begin in the low 20s and top out just above $30K.