It is curious, they were designed to reduce the use of space in cities, and they end up as transport for OAPs in rural areas.

It is a pity they limit the engine size - they should limit the CO2 or mpg as a more useful metric.

Or you could have 2 classes: CO2 (or mpg) only limited (for rural areas where there is more space) and size and Co2 limited one for urban areas.

Even better would be to get international standards for small cars, so you could trade them across borders - even if the tax breaks were different. As long the standards applied to the same class of cars, they would be useful.

In the last year in the UK, there seems to have been an increase in ownership of these cars too. A friend had one, it was fun with its 660cc 3 cylinder 12 valve Turbo engine and soft top. Handled like a dream, went like a scream.

My wife bought her 660cc Daihatsu 9 years ago. It has dual airbags, air con, and does a comfortable 90 km/h on the highway. It is ideal, of course, for the city but does our family just fine for weekend getaways as well. It gets about 15km/l in the city but, with "eco-driving" all the rage here in Japan now, probably a little more. She bought it new for just over $10,000 US (1,000,000 Yen and change) and has required one small repair job since then. They are a hit all over the country, rural and urban. All, yes ALL, of our neighbours and friends have one either as a primary car (with bicycle or scooter as secondary) or their second car (the box vans and wagons are used less and less of course).

WHY OH WHY are these cars not available in North America? Tell me that Ford and GM would not be selling them by the hundreds of thousands now. They are simple to make, easy to repair, and fun to drive. The fuel economy and price speaks for themselves. The new micro cars are getting over 20km/l and, even with gasoline at 185 yen a litre here, our friends/neighbours are still spending only $200 US a month or less for their commute. Add a bicycle for the local stuff like we do and now we're down to $150 or less.

Do we not all remember what happened in the 70's when that little ugly car came over from Europe and sold a million in just a few years. I had a Beetle back in Canada too and I'd take our little Daihatsu over it anyday.

Does it have to be the VOLT, the Prius, a handful of little start-up electric car companies or NOTHING in the US?

The millions who own an SUV now who can't quite make that jump to scooter or bicycle (or legitimate reasons or not) might just look at a $14,000 Daihatsu that gets 50 mpg and come up with the money for it pretty quickly.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_hilton/20080422.html

For now, the only very small cars available in México are:
Hyundai Atos, Daewoo Matiz and Smart For-Two
I wish there were more models available.