Requiem for the cheap new car

If you want something smaller than a three-row crossover, you might be out of luck.

In the late sixties and early seventies, America’s “Big Three” automakers paid minimal attention to compact and economy models, bequeathing upon the world half-assed efforts like the Vega and the Pinto, while upstart Japanese companies made inroads with high-quality, affordable small cars. This strategy really paid off in 1973, when the oil crisis tanked the market for gas guzzlers and buyers soon discovered that Toyotas and Datsuns actually started when you turned the key.

When discussing famously stupid business decisions, changing “Datsun” to “Nissan” doesn’t get enough attention.

Years later, the Big Three went all-in on trucks and sport-utility vehicles, resulting in big profits…until the Great Recession of 2008, and yada yada yada, Chrysler was eventually absorbed into a Voltron of famously unreliable car brands¹ called “Stellantis.” GM also went bankrupt while Ford barely hung on, and though both remain major players, the days when they combined for something like 80% market sha…