I agree. Smaller cars are not only more affordable (both in terms of original price and fuel efficiency) than normal-sized, let alone 'big' cars, but they're also significantly more practical in crowded conditions, with regards to manoeuvring and parking. They don't even necessarily offer less utility than larger cars; they are simply more compact. For these reasons, I think it is likely that smaller vehicles will be adapted in urban centres of developing nations in great number, and they may even gain popularity in developed nations due to their environmental and financial efficiency.

If the article in question reports anything even close to the truth, then auto-manufacturers in Japan are making a mistake: they are abandoning their practice precisely when they are really getting their chance to make significant global impact.

I would love to buy a daihatsu copen in the states. These are just fun small cars.

I don't own my own car, I share one at the moment. But if I bought my own, I used to want a Nissan Cube. It's a hilarious looking car and the overall shape just looks so efficient. I never realised they make even smaller more efficient cars (and I have visited Japan).

If you don't want to sell these in Japan, send them over to Australia please.

Keynesian economics... Friend to the working class and the end environment. Increase Y at all cost.