Editing Subcompact car (section)

==History==
=== 1960s ===

The term subcompact originated during the 1960s.<ref name="M-W dictionary"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The definition of subcompact |url= https://www.dictionary.com/browse/subcompact |website=dictionary.com |access-date=31 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref> However, it came into popular use in the early 1970s, as car manufacturers in the United States began to introduce smaller cars into their line-up.<ref>{{cite journal|title=PS Tests Five Camping Trailers Can you match these little campers safely to your car? |first=Herbert |last=Shuldiner |journal=Popular Science |date=March 1972 |page=96 |quote=The boom in subcompact cars is on. |volume=200 |issue=3 }}</ref> Previously, cars in this size were variously categorized, including "small cars"<ref>{{cite journal|url= http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2005/10/01/hmn_feature17.html |last=Foster |first=Patrick |title=Developing the Metropolitan |journal=Hemmings Classic Car |date=2005-10-01 |access-date=2012-01-05 |quote=During WWII and immediately afterwards, Mason began to explore the idea of developing a truly small car, the size of what today we'd call a subcompact.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Popular Mechanics |date=1954 |publisher=Hearst Magazines |edition=November 1954 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sdwDAAAAMBAJ |access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref>{{refpage|page=120}} or "economy cars".

Several of these small cars were produced in the U.S. in limited volumes, including the 1930 [[American Austin Car Company|American Austin]] (later called the American Bantam)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=U.S. Senate 93rd Congress |title=Second Session on S. 1167, Part 4: Ground Transportation Industries |journal=Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Antitrustand Monopoly of the Committee on the Judiciary |date=April 1974 |pages=2480 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ho8TAAAAIAAJ&q=Austin+Bantam |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> and the 1939 [[Crosley]]. From the 1950s onwards, various imported small cars were sold in the U.S., including the [[Nash Metropolitan]], [[Volkswagen Beetle]], and various small British cars. The term subcompact did not yet exist, so the Metropolitan was labeled a "compact or economy car" and marketed as a second vehicle for use around town, not as a primary car.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Corey |title=Rare Rides: A Microscopic American Motors Metropolitan, From 1962 |url= https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/03/rare-rides-a-microscopic-american-motors-metropolitan-from-1962/ |publisher=The Truth About Cars |date=22 March 2019 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McGuire |first1=Bill |title=1954 Nash Metropolitan: Cuter than a box of puppies |url= https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2128696/1954-nash-metropolitan-cuter-box-puppies/ |publisher=Autoweek |access-date=30 December 2020 |quote=10 inches shorter than a Volkswagen Beetle, the Metropolitan joined Bantam and Crosley as the smallest cars ever sold here in any volume. |date=22 October 2000}}</ref> The Volkswagen Beetle was marketed with advertising pointing out the car's unconventional features as strengths and to get buyers to "think small."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Abby |first1=Narishkin |last2=Cameron |first2=Steve |title=Why Volkswagen stopped making its most iconic car, the VW Beetle |url= https://www.businessinsider.com/vw-beetle-rise-fall-volkswagen-most-iconic-car-2019-8?op=1 |publisher=Business Insider |date=2 December 2020 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> Prompted by the British government for exports, Ford was one of the first companies to try and sell inexpensive small cars in volume. From 1948 to 1970, approximately 250,000 economical English Fords were imported to the US while over 235,000 went to Canada.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacSems |first1=Michael |title=A Brief history of English Fords in North America - Michael MacSems |url=https://www.enfostuff.com/history/A_Brief_History_of_English_Fords_in_North_America.html |website=enfostuff.com |via=The International Ford History Project |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> Models such as the 1960 [[Ford Anglia]] were promoted as "The world's most exciting light car."<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCourt |first1=Mark J. |title=Blue Oval Imports: 1950s-1960s British Ford Anglia, Consul, Zephyr and Cortina brochures |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2016/04/08/blue-oval-imports-1950s-1960s-british-ford-anglia-consul-zephyr-and-cortina-brochures |publisher=Hemmings |date=8 April 2016 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>

=== 1970s ===
{{multiple image 
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 | image1 = 1971 AMC Gremlin X.jpg
 | caption1 = 1971 [[AMC Gremlin]] X
 | image2 = 1972 Ford Pinto Runabout.jpg
 | caption2 = 1972 [[Ford Pinto]] Runabout
 | image3 = 1973 Vega GT- Millionth Vega Special Edition.jpg
 | caption3 = 1973 [[Chevrolet Vega]] GT Hatchback
}}

Due to the increasing popularity of small cars imported from Europe and Japan during the late 1960s, the American manufacturers began releasing competing locally-built models in the early 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-13|title=Historiography: The "Ugly" Subcompacts of the 1970s {{!}}|url=https://www.randystern.net/historiography-subcompacts-1970s/|access-date=2021-10-28|website=www.randystern.net|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The Small Car Detroit Doesn't Make: 4 doors, 4 seats, 4 cylinders |first1=Jan P. |last1=Norbye |first2=Jim |last2=Dunne |journal=Popular Science |date=November 1970 |page=36 |quote=Detroit's small cars, sized and priced to compete head-on with the most successful sub-compact imports. |volume=197 |issue=5 }}</ref> The [[AMC Gremlin]] was described at its April 1970 introduction as "the first American-built import" and the first U.S. built subcompact car.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kunz |first1=Bruce |title=1970 AMC Gremlin- America's first "sub" compact car. |url= https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/autos/1970-amc-gremlin--americas-first-sub-compact-car/article_88ceab86-32b2-5758-9484-8c48522f060e.html |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=3 December 2007 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arcticboy.com/Pages/arcticboysgremlin.html |last=Wilson |first=Bob |title=1971 AMC Gremlin advertisement |publisher=arcticboy |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1970-1978-amc-gremlin.htm |author=Auto Editors of ''Consumer Guide'' |title=1970-1978 AMC Gremlin |date=17 October 2007 |publisher=HowStuffWorks.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200930195702/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1970-1978-amc-gremlin.htm |archive-date=30 September 2020 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> Also introduced in 1970 were the [[Chevrolet Vega]] and [[Ford Pinto]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ernst |first1=Kurt |title=The AMC Gremlin X: Because different is good |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/06/25/the-amc-gremlin-x-because-different-is-good |publisher=Hemmings |date=25 June 2014 |quote=Introduced in April 1970, the AMC Gremlin hit the market five months before the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet Vega. |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> Plans for the subcompact AMC Gremlin pre-dated Vega and Pinto by several years because of AMC's strategy to recognize emerging market opportunities ahead of the competition.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Epp |first1=Peter |title=50 years ago, Gremlin filled a void for desperate AMC |url= https://www.theobserver.ca/opinion/columnists/50-years-ago-gremlin-filled-a-void-for-desperate-amc/wcm/de949ec0-c4a1-43da-9862-982a465ac461 |newspaper=The Observer |date=2 April 2020 |location=Toronto |language=en-CA |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>

Sales of American-built "low weight cars" (including subcompacts) accounted for more than 30% of total car sales in 1972 and 1973, despite inventory shortages for several models.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bb1CAQAAMAAJ&q=inventory+shortages+of+the+more+popular+subcompacts,+the+Vega,+Gremlin,+and+Pinto.+Demand+for+these+nameplates+has+been+exceptionally+strong&pg=RA2-PA58 |page=6 |date=May 1974 |title=Survey of Current Business |volume=54 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |access-date=16 July 2017}}</ref> The Gremlin, Pinto and Vega were all [[rear-wheel drive]] and available with four-cylinder engines (the Pinto was also available with a [[Ford Cologne V6 engine|V6]] engine, and the Gremlin was also available with [[AMC straight-6 engine|I6]] and [[AMC V8 engine|V8]] engines).

The [[Pontiac Astre]], the Canadian-originated [[badge engineering|re-badged]] Vega variant was released in the U.S. in September 1974.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niedermeyer |first1=Paul |title=Curbside Outtake: 1977 Pontiac Astre – The First US Astre Find At CC Thanks To Google Streetview |url= https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtakes/curbside-outtake-1977-pontiac-astre-the-first-us-astre-find-at-cc-thanks-to-google-streetview/ |publisher=Curbside Classic |date=7 October 2020 |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> Due to falling sales of the larger [[pony car]]s (such as the Chevrolet Camaro and first-generation Ford Mustang) in the mid-1970s, the Vega-based [[Chevrolet Monza]] was introduced as an upscale subcompact and the [[Ford Mustang II]] temporarily downsized from the pony car class to become a subcompact car for its second generation. The Monza with its GM variants [[Pontiac Sunbird]], [[Buick Skyhawk]], [[Oldsmobile Starfire]], and the Mustang II continued until the end of the decade. The [[Chevrolet Chevette]] was GM's new entry-level subcompact introduced as a 1976 model. It was an 'Americanized' design from [[Opel]], GM's German subsidiary. Additionally, subcompacts that were imported and marketed through domestic manufacturers' dealer networks as [[captive imports]] included the [[Renault Le Car]] and the [[Ford Fiesta]].

In 1977, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to use a new vehicle classification system, based on interior volume instead of exterior size.<ref>{{cite book |title=1977 Gas Mileage Guide (950R77039) |date=September 1976 |publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |location=Washington DC |url= https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=9101Y0AX.txt |access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref>{{refpage|page=3}} Sedans with up to 100 cubic feet of passenger luggage volume were classified as subcompact. There was not a separate subcompact station wagon class with all up to 130 cubic feet of volume classified as "small."

In 1978, Volkswagen began producing the "Rabbit" version of the [[Volkswagen Golf Mk1|Golf]]— a modern, [[front-wheel drive]] design— in Pennsylvania. In 1982, American Motors began manufacturing the U.S. [[Renault Alliance]]— a version of the [[Renault 9]]— in Wisconsin. Both models benefiting from European designs, development, and experience.<ref>{{cite journal|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pheE0GplzroC&q=American+Motors+subcompact+for+83&pg=PA22 |title=Renault 9 - American Motors subcompact for 83 |first=Jan P. |last=Norbye |journal=Popular Science |date=January 1982 |volume=220 |issue=1 |page=22 |access-date=16 July 2017}}</ref>

=== 1980s ===
To replace the aging Chevette in the second half of the 1980s, Chevrolet introduced marketed imported front-wheel drive subcompact cars: the [[Suzuki Cultus]] (a three-cylinder hatchback, badged as the Chevrolet Sprint)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-26|title=A Detailed Look Back At The Chevy Sprint|url=https://www.hotcars.com/a-detailed-look-back-at-the-chevy-sprint/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=HotCars|language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Isuzu Gemini]] (a four-cylinder hatchback/sedan badged as the Chevrolet Spectrum).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Martin|first=Murilee|date=2021-01-07|title=1986 Chevrolet Spectrum Sport Is a Rare Piece of Isuzu History|url=https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a35101700/1986-chevrolet-spectrum-sports-a-rare-piece-of-isuzu-history/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=Autoweek|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 1990s ===
{{expand section |date= January 2019}}
During the 1990s GM offered the [[Geo (automobile)|Geo]] brand featuring the Suzuki-built [[Geo Metro|Metro]] subcompact.

=== 2000s to present ===
[[File:2007-2008 Honda Fit Sport -- 01-28-2010.jpg|thumb|Between 2006 and 2008, [[Honda Fit]] annual sales increased three-fold.]]
Because of consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars during the mid- to late-2000s, sales of subcompact cars made them the fastest growing market category in the U.S.<ref>{{cite journal|url= https://www.forbes.com/2008/08/29/american-fuel-efficient-forbeslife-cx_jm_0829cars.html |title=Most Fuel-Efficient American Cars |first=Jacqueline |last=Mitchell |date=2008-08-29 |journal=Forbes |access-date=2012-01-05 }}</ref> In 2006, three major subcompact models were introduced to the market, the [[Toyota Yaris]], [[Honda Fit]], and [[Nissan Versa]]. These models were released by their manufacturers to aim at a group of younger buyers who otherwise shop for used cars.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Dell|first=John|date=2006-02-14|title=Japanese Subcompacts, With Room for Profit|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-feb-14-fi-smallcars14-story.html|access-date=2021-05-31|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> While fuel prices at the time were increasing, the small cars were planned before fuel prices soared; for example, Honda had announced that it would release a subcompact model as early as 2004.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Zaun (NYT)|first=Todd|date=2004-12-25|title=Asia: Japan: Honda To Sell Subcompact Car In U.S.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/25/business/world-business-briefing-asia-japan-honda-to-sell-subcompact-car-in.html|access-date=2021-05-31|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

By 2008, sales of subcompact cars had dramatically increased in the wake of a continuing increase of fuel prices. At the same time, sales of pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles had dropped sharply. By April 2008, sales of Toyota’s subcompact Yaris had increased 46 percent, and Honda’s Fit had a record month with an increase of 54 percent.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Vlasic|first=Bill|date=2008-05-02|title=As Gas Costs Soar, Buyers Flock to Small Cars|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/business/02auto.html|access-date=2021-05-31|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=By Casey Williams, Special to the|title=Subcompact cars making space in American market|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/autos/chi-subcompact-cars-making-space-in-american-market-20140708-story.html|access-date=2021-10-28|website=chicagotribune.com|date=9 July 2014 }}</ref>

However, low fuel prices and the added room in [[SUV]]s impacted subcompact sales negatively in the late 2010s. During this period, industry executives and analysts said that the subcompact car market was returning to historical norms after an unusual period when manufacturers had expanded small car lineups in anticipation of rising demand fueled by rising fuel prices, which has since eased.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Naughton|first=Henry Payne, and Nora|title=Small cars' decline a return to the norm|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2018/04/19/small-cars-decline-return-norm/34005423/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=The Detroit News|language=en-US}}</ref> In the United States, the segment experienced a 50 percent drop in sales in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2020/07/17/discontinued-cars-2020-ford-fiesta-toyota-yaris-gm-chevrolet-sonic/5413585002/ |title=Small cars are being discontinued: Why GM, Ford, Toyota have given up on subcompact cars |last=Bomey |first=Nathan |work=USA Today |date=2020-07-17|access-date=2010-08-18}}</ref> In Canada, the subcompact share of the car market shrank to 1.6 percent for the year ending 2020, down from 2.4 percent in 2019.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Carmakers are leaving the subcompact market|url=https://www.wheels.ca/news/carmakers-are-leaving-the-subcompact-market/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=WHEELS.ca|date=24 February 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>

As a result, manufacturers stopped offering subcompact models and focused on larger cars instead, including [[subcompact crossover SUV]]s which offer higher profit margins and a higher average transaction price.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-05-30|title=The sudden rise of the subcompact crossover|url=https://www.autonews.com/sales/sudden-rise-subcompact-crossover|access-date=2021-10-28|website=Automotive News|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Models that were no longer sold in the United States by the end of the decade include the [[Mazda 2]] (discontinued after 2014), [[Scion xD]] (2016), [[Toyota Prius C]] (2017), [[Ford Fiesta#North American market|Ford Fiesta]] (2019), [[Smart Fortwo]] (2019), [[Fiat 500 (2007)|Fiat 500]] (2019), [[Toyota Yaris]] (2020), [[Honda Fit]] (2020), and [[Chevrolet Sonic]] (2020).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Do You Live In the US and Want A Small, Affordable Car? Too Bad.|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-automakers-phasing-out-affordable-subcompact-cars/|access-date=2021-05-31|website=Vice.com|date=21 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bomey|first=Nathan|title=Small cars are being discontinued: Why GM, Ford, Toyota have given up on subcompact cars|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2020/07/17/discontinued-cars-2020-ford-fiesta-toyota-yaris-gm-chevrolet-sonic/5413585002/|access-date=2021-05-31|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-20|title=Toyota to withdraw from U.S. subcompact car market|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/20/business/corporate-business/toyota-withdraw-subcompact-car-market/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

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