(CNN)The automobile is a status symbol to many -- bought to reflect our characters, to show what we aspire to be, or demonstrate how well we"re doing in life. The larger and more luxurious the vehicle, the better. Or so you might think.
John McIlroy is Deputy Editor of Auto Express and Carbuyer.
The car has also delivered freedom for millions on a budget, and the vehicles created to fulfill that demand are some of the cleverest ever made -- marvels of packaging, stunning achievements of engineering. Sure, there are some famous large cars -- but the global automotive icons are almost all at the smaller side of the spectrum.
All the while, America"s love affair with SUVs and jumbo pick-up trucks has taken it further and further away from the breadth of the European market. There are faint signs that this could be changing -- witness the Fiesta"s relative success after its introduction to US buyers -- but the cultural difference is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
China may not be so straightforward. Up until now, buyers there have been fixated on the idea of traveling in the backseats of cars instead of getting behind the wheel. That"s because the world"s biggest car market has been driven by a fast-emerging upper-middle class.
But you have to suspect that as cities and streets become ever busier, and countless millions gain the financial wherewithal to consider owning a car, the vehicles they buy may well have to become more compact.
And the European manufacturers will be itching to take advantage when that happens.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/15/autos/tiniest-cars/index.html
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