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34-526: The Mazda Demio ( マツダ・デミオ , Matsuda Demio ) is a subcompact / supermini / B-segment small car manufactured by Mazda since 1996. While sold across four generations in the domestic Japanese market, the Demio nameplate was rarely used outside of Japan, where it was usually called the Mazda2 . The Demio nameplate was retired in 2019 as Mazda changed over to " Mazda2 " for their home market as well. The Demio

68-562: A group of younger buyers who otherwise shop for used cars. 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. 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

102-650: A higher average transaction price. 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 (2019), Smart Fortwo (2019), Fiat 500 (2019), Toyota Yaris (2020), Honda Fit (2020), and Chevrolet Sonic (2020). American Austin Car Company The American Austin Car Company Inc.

136-458: A petition in federal court to plan for reorganization. Production of vehicles finally stopped on December 1, 1934. By the end of 1934 about 20,000 American Austin cars had been produced. On July 19, 1934 American Austin was ordered to show cause why an order for its liquidation should not be granted. The following week the federal court ordered the liquidation of American Austin and appointed Gill as trustee. When Evans heard that American Austin

170-497: A record month with an increase of 54 percent. However, low fuel prices and the added room in SUVs 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. In

204-482: A second vehicle for use around town, not as a primary car. The Volkswagen Beetle was marketed with advertising pointing out the car's unconventional features as strengths and to get buyers to "think small." 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

238-754: A time full of negative press coverage for the company, the Demio became a surprise hit for Mazda in Japan, and also foreshadowed B-segment minivans such as the Opel Meriva , Fiat Idea and the Renault Modus . A concept model previewing the DW series, called the Mazda BU-X was shown in 1995. At its introduction in 1997, it won the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference Car of

272-596: Is built on the Mazda D platform and was preceded by two other small cars based on the platform: the Ford Festiva (designed and built by Mazda for Ford and also sold as the Mazda 121) that was introduced in 1986 and the Revue (sold by Mazda's Autozam marque) introduced in 1990. The name "Demio" is derived from Latin meus to show possession, which in many Romance languages has become "mio." The third generation Demio

306-686: 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

340-688: The Nissan Versa and Mitsubishi Mirage . The smaller cars in the A-segment/city car category (such as the Chevrolet Spark and Smart Fortwo) are sometimes called subcompacts in the U.S., because the EPA's name for this smaller category — "minicompact" — is not commonly used by the general public. The prevalence of small cars in the United States increased in the 1960s due to increased imports of cars from Europe and Japan. Widespread use of

374-575: 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. 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

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408-715: The Suzuki Cultus (a three-cylinder hatchback, badged as the Chevrolet Sprint) and the Isuzu Gemini (a four-cylinder hatchback/sedan badged as the Chevrolet Spectrum). Subcompact cars were highly popular in the 1990s due to their affordability and fuel efficiency. These cars typically had engines under 1.6 liters and were ideal for city driving. During the 1990s GM offered the Geo brand featuring

442-645: The "Rabbit" version of the 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. To replace the aging Chevette in the second half of the 1980s, Chevrolet introduced marketed imported front-wheel drive subcompact cars:

476-628: The Suzuki-built Metro subcompact. Subcompact cars of the 1990s typically featured a small footprint, lightweight design, and engines with displacements generally under 1.6 liters. They were designed to provide maximum interior space while maintaining a compact exterior, making them ideal for city driving and parking. Several models defined the subcompact car market during the 1990s. Some of the most notable include: The 1990s focused on fuel efficiency and emissions, leading to innovations in fuel injection and aerodynamics. These subcompacts set

510-595: The U.S. in limited volumes, including the 1930 American Austin (later called the American Bantam) 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

544-544: The US while over 235,000 went to Canada. Models such as the 1960 Ford Anglia were promoted as "The world's most exciting light car." 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. The AMC Gremlin was described at its April 1970 introduction as "the first American-built import" and

578-420: The United States, the segment experienced a 50 percent drop in sales in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019. 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. As a result, manufacturers stopped offering subcompact models and focused on larger cars instead, including subcompact crossover SUVs which offer higher profit margins and

612-872: The Year award in Japan. Production of the new Demio started in July 1996 (sold as the 121 outside Japan and Europe) used the DW platform . Ford retailed a version in Japan as the Ford Festiva Mini Wagon. In 1997, the Mazda logo was changed to the current logo. The Demio received a horizontal grille in September 1998 for Japanese market. The Demio received a facelift in December 1999 with a revised exterior, redesigned dashboard, cabin air filtration, retuned automatic transmission , and available DSC . The original Demio

646-431: The cars sold to Evans. In 1933 American Austin domestic sales topped out at 4,726 units, still far short of the "180,000 firm orders" American Austin was supposed to have in 1929, before the crash. In 1934, running out of inventory for metal stamped body parts, American Austin started to produce small scale pickup trucks, making the bodies now in-house. But production slowed down and during the summer American Austin filed

680-509: The company's first (and best) year of sales but only 1,279 vehicles were built in 1931. Sales fell off to the point that production was suspended in the spring of 1932. American Austin was reorganized, and Reuben O. Gill was appointed as president and general manager. Gill established a relationship with Roy Evans, owner of a large chain of dealerships in the southeast United States. By August production rose to an average of 600 vehicles per month with 3,846 cars being manufactured in 1932, with 80% of

714-451: The court to accept only Evans' bid he threw out the challenge and the sale of American Austin's assets was final. A month after the sale of the assets, the factory was back in operation, now owned by Evans' syndicate and doing business as Evans Operations, Inc. Beginning in the 1960s, the car gained a following with hot rodders , as well as among drag racers . The 75 in (1,900 mm) wheelbase made it attractive, even compared to

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748-688: The first U.S. built subcompact car. Also introduced in 1970 were the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto . 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. 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. The Gremlin, Pinto and Vega were all rear-wheel drive and available with four-cylinder engines (the Pinto

782-454: The nameplate was retired in favor of the global moniker in September 2019. Subcompact car According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) car size class definition, the subcompact category sits between the "minicompact" and " compact " categories. The EPA definition of a subcompact is a passenger car with a combined interior and cargo volume of 85–99 cubic feet (2,410–2,800 L). Current examples of subcompact cars are

816-483: The stage for modern small cars, emphasizing efficiency and reliability. 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. 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

850-604: The term subcompact coincided with the early 1970s increase in subcompact cars built in the United States. Early 1970s subcompacts include the AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . The term subcompact originated during the 1960s. 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. Previously, cars in this size were variously categorized, including "small cars" or "economy cars". Several of these small cars were produced in

884-566: Was about to be auctioned off, he quickly sent his good friend and lawyer Bill Ward Jr. to Butler to see if he might negotiate a favorable acquisition. Ward negotiated a deal to acquire the American Austin land, buildings, equipment and inventory for $ 5,000 cash in addition to assuming $ 214,099.83 in debt. On August 21, 1935, the liquidating trustee sold the assets of Austin to Roy S. Evans, Martin Tow and William A. Ward, Jr. The day Evans' bid

918-412: Was accepted, a company called Industrial Improvement Company, of Indianapolis , Indiana , filed a bill of equity to block the sale of American Austin assets to Evans' syndicate. Industrial Improvement had made a competing bid, increasing the total offer by $ 5,000, but their bid had been rejected. When the presiding judge learned that 80% of the creditors supported Roy Evans' acquisition and had authorized

952-699: Was also available with a V6 engine, and the Gremlin was also available with I6 and V8 engines). The Pontiac Astre , the Canadian-originated re-badged Vega variant was released in the U.S. in September 1974. Due to falling sales of the larger pony cars (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

986-683: Was among the top three finalists of the World Car Awards , which it won, while the fourth generation won the 2014–2015 Car of the Year Japan . The first generation Demio was sold as the Ford Festiva Mini Wagon in some markets. When it came to redesigning the sedan-only Revue, Mazda came up with a tall hatchback, minivan-esque package - the Revue, at 1.5 metres (59.1 in), had also been unusually tall. Introduced in

1020-504: Was an American automobile manufacturing corporation incorporated in the state of Delaware. The company was founded on February 23, 1929, and produced motorcars licensed from the British Austin Motor Company from 1930 through 1934, after it had filed for bankruptcy protection. The company was liquidated in 1935 and the assets were acquired by Evans Operations, Inc. and a new company American Bantam Car Company

1054-570: Was capable of 50 mph (80 km/h) in high gear. Styling resembled small Chevrolets , with Stutz - and Marmon -style horizontal hood louvres. The bodies were designed by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky and made by the Hayes Body Company of Detroit. The coupe was billed as a sedan , and sold for $ 445, slightly less than a Ford V8 roadster. The Great Depression made the cheaper secondhand cars more appealing, so sales dropped off. American Austin produced 8,448 cars were sold during 1930,

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1088-776: Was incorporated in June 1936. American Austin Car Company set up manufacturing operations in Butler , Pennsylvania , in premises that had belonged to the Standard Steel Car Company . Their intention was to assemble and sell in the United States a version of the Austin 7 car, called American Austin. After some initial success the Great Depression set in, and sales fell off to the point that production

1122-486: Was replaced in 2002. The original DW model was produced in Mazda's Colombia plant as "Mazda Demio" until the end of 2007 when the DE model replaced it. Beginning with the 2002 second generation Demio, export models received "Mazda2" badging. The third generation appeared in early 2007, followed by a fourth generation in September 2014. Mazda continued to call the car Demio in its home market (and some select export markets) until

1156-518: Was suspended. In 1934 the company filed for bankruptcy protection and in 1935 the company was liquidated. The Austin automobile was designed in the hopes of creating a market for small-car enthusiasts in the United States. The cars had 747 cc (45.6 cu in) inline-four engines , enabling the car to return 40 mpg ‑US (48 mpg ‑imp ; 5.9 L/100 km), and travel 1,000 miles or 1,600 kilometres per 2 US qt (1.7 imp qt; 1.9 L) fill of oil. It

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