In July 2023, Fiat CEO Olivier Francois announced that Fiat would no longer be offering grey cars. This praiseworthy rebellion against blandness* was announced in a video of a 600e being dipped in a vat of orange paint. Sadly, it occurred 2 model years after Fiat stopped offering its 500L sedan and 124 Spider, possibly victims of the SUV craze, in the US. The 500x crossover is still on sale here, and the little 500e all-electric coupe is still available in Europe, though the plaid color scheme shown here is apparently not a factory offering...
But red was, of course, a factory offering from Alfa Romeo on its front-drive Giulietta, a small family hatchback offered from 2010 to 2020. Only the larger Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV were part of the company's US relaunch, which began with the 8C Competizione supercar in 2008. Too bad, because the Giulietta would have offered practicality and Alfa handling in a city-friendly size.
Alfa's 159, offered as 4-door sedan starting in 2004 and a 5-door sport wagon joined it in 2006. On a 106" wheelbase, it's not small, but the design by Giugiaro and Alfa's Centro Stile is too pretty to ignore. Engine options included inline 4s with and without turbocharging, as well as a 3.2 liter V6, which like the chassis was based upon a GM Holden design. Like contemporary BMW sport wagons, the 159 looks stunningly low and svelte when parked near today's big SUVs. It was criticized for being a bit overweight by Alfisti, was never imported into the US, and was discontinued in 2011.
Audi has offered its A1 in 3 and 5 door hatchback versions in Europe since 2010, but never in the US, where their recent emphasis, even in the electric E-trons, has been on SUVs. The A1 is a posh supermini, offering gasoline engines ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 liters. Intriguingly, transmission choices have included 5 and 6-speed manuals, a 7-speed S-tronic, and a 1-speed for the electric E-tron version.
BMW offered its 1 Series in this F20 three-door version starting in 2012, and continued the model through 2019, eventually adding a 3.0 liter six to the original, more modest engine range, which included a 1.5 liter turbocharged inline three, plus 1.6 and 2.0 liter inline fours (turbocharged and not). Transmissions included a 6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic, and the styling by Nicolas Huet was sleeker than the 1 Series notchback that made it to the US.
Citroen took a nonconformist approach when they introduced their C4 Cactus subcompact SUV in 2014. Front-drive only, the Cactus offered 1.2 liter inline 3-cylinder gas power, or a 1.6 liter diesel four. On a 102" wheelbase, it's a tidy 163" long. Those black panels on the flanks, front and rear are called "AIrBumps". They protect the C4 from parking lot dings and dents, in exchange for looking like AirBumps. The Cactus was produced in Spain until 2020, and in Brazil from 2018 until the present. Front-drive naturally, but sadly not with the famous hydropneumatic suspension, which would have allowed adjustable ground clearance, a practical feature in an SUV...
On a 5" shorter wheelbase than the Cactus, Citroen's DS3 is based on the same chassis platform, competing in the luxury supermini category with Audi's A1. It's an inch longer than the Opel Tigra at 155 inches, Launched as a Citroen in 2009, the car became part of the separate DS (pronounced dee-esse, goddess in French) make in 2016, and continued for another three years. DS3 listed 1.2 liter inline threes, and 1.4 liter and 1.6 liter fours, with the 1.2 and 1.6 offering optional turbos.
Opel's Karl (oddly named after Adam Opel's son) was built in South Korea, and was, like the Vauxhall Viva, a badge-engineered version of the 4th generation Chevy Spark. It was in the mini category (the BMW version, not the BMC) on a 93.9" wheelbase, and just over 12 feet long. Power came from a 1.0 liter inline 3, and 5-speed manual and automatics transmitted power from the front wheels to the road. It all came to an end after 2017, when GM sold Opel to PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) Group, which joined Stellantis in 2021.
The Opel mini wagon below appears related to the equally boxy Concept A that appeared in 1999, and seemed aimed at maximum space efficiency...
Opel had offered its TIgra convertible with removable hardtop from 2004-2009, and this version was actually built in France, like the bodies for the Opel GT had been in the late 60s and early 70s. A front-driver with 1.4 and 1.6 liter inline fours, it offered 5-speed manual as well as 4-speed automatic shifting. It offered the right size for small car fans: at 154.4 inches on a 95.6" wheelbase, it was 2" shorter than Mazda's original Miata...
The Toyota Aygo (pronounced "I go") was a Euope-only model built in the Czech Republic alongside the related Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. It was a true mini, with on overall length of 134" and weight just over 1,800 lb.. Engines were a 1.3 liter gas inline 3 and a 1.4 liter diesel 4. Aygo had a long production life, 2005-2022, and previewed some of the wild lighting and graphic shapes that appeared on Toyota's US market cars, especially SUVs.
VW's third-generation Scirocco, offered from 2008-17, offered 1.4 and 2.0 liter inline 4s as well as diesels, and standardized 6-speed manual gearboxes under this sleek and compact hatchback coupe shell by Walter de Silva. Produced in Germany and Portugal, it was available only in front-drive form, perhaps to avoid competition with Audi's Quattro performance offerings.
VW's ID.3 offers electric power in a more compact form than the ID.4 we get in the US, at 167.8" long vs. 180.5" for the ID.4. Weight is lower too, with the standard version ID.3 at 3,907 lb., while the ID.4 goes from 4,300 to 4,900 lb. depending upon configuration and trim. ID.3 range runs from 240 to 330 miles, depending upon battery pack.
VW's new ID.2 is still more compact, with an overall length of 159.4" on a 102.4" wheelbase, and a range of up to 280 miles. VW's target weight for the ID.2 is 3,300 to 3,500 pounds, according to Motor Trend magazine. In the US market, this car could fill the gap left by Nissan's planned discontinuation of the Leaf, and GM's halt of Bolt EV and EUV production after 2023. GM has now announced a new, revised Bolt EUV for next year, and Nissan is making noise about a new Leaf. Good for American consumers, because we're unlikely to see the ID.2 on these shores anytime soon.
There's also a GTI version of the ID.2, with 265 hp instead of the standard 233. The GTI, shown below, offers different trim and bumpers, front and rear, but it's unlikely to appear in the US market because of the US fondness for big SUVs*, and the Trump Administration's fondness for tariffs.
If the new tariffs being levied against imported cars make it unlikely that we'll see Volkswagen's ID.3 or ID.2 (let alone the smaller ID.1) in the US, it's even less likely that we'll see the new Peugeot E-208, a new all-electric slightly smaller than the ID.2, and with a range up to 254 miles. PSA Group had mentioned plans to relaunch Peugeot in the US before joining Stellantis in 2021, and even mentioned 2026 as a target. But French products, like German ones, will be affected by that 25% tax. Oddly, Russian automotive products will be exempt. In case you want to rush out and buy a Lada, though, you can forget it; Russian cars don't meet US safety standards. There still are Federal safety standards for cars in the US, and they're supposed to be enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We checked...
*Footnote:
The Fiat announcement dropping grey occurred almost 2 years after we complained about the colorlessness of modern cars in "Worst Car Designs Revisited: Computerized Conformism + Fear of Color", posted here on June 20, 2021. We reviewed the current SUV craze in "Annals of Design: Why So Many SUVs and Pickups" on November 30, 2023.
Color Photo Credits:
All photos were contributed by our roving correspondent Dr. Marcus Nashelsky, except for the VW ID.2 and ID.2 GTI (from Volkswagen AG on Wikimedia) and the Peugeot E-208 (from Stellantis N.V.). In case you want to apply for that European correspondent job, we'll point out that the hourly rate we offer for photography is zero, and that Dr. Nashelsky pays all his own travel expenses.
The smallest vehicle from Alfa Romeo should also be mentioned in the list of Alfas: the MiTo. The technical basis was the Fiat Punto. Stylistically, it borrowed from the 8C sports car and was actually the secret successor to the Alfasud Sprint.
ReplyDeleteThe 159 wasn't actually small by our European standards. It was in the mid-range category - and was too heavy for this class. The available 4-cylinder engines struggled with the weight.
The 6-cylinder engine installed in the 159 was no longer the "Busso engine", but was based on a Holden engine and was a sluggish fuel guzzler.
As always, Fred, your comments are illuminating. We'd noted that Alfa's 159 didn't qualify as small, but was too pretty to ignore, and had forgotten that period of cooperation between GM and Fiat that was formalized in 2000. The Alfa version of the GM V6 was fitted with Alfa-designed heads with variable valve timing. After reading about this engine's convoluted production process, it was easy to wonder wny Alfa Romeo didn;t stay with their lighter Busso V6, which already had variable valve timing. Though MiTos are as common as 159s (293,000 vs. 247,00) our correspondent didn't happen upon one. And the presence of the ID.3 in his photos led to my lengthy VW digression instead. I do tend to digress...
ReplyDeleteYes, the 159 was beautiful - there was even a Coupe (Brera) and a Spider to go with it - but there was no more ‘Cuore Sportivo’ and no more ‘lightness’. Everything was heavy and ponderous, lightness/speed was only achieved by using far too much horsepower and too much petrol.
ReplyDeleteThe 159 was not the last in a series of bad decisions by this brand, but it was another nail in the coffin.
What was also not available on your side of the pond was the GT (Tipo 937), a coupé based on the 147 (which in turn was based on the 156). It was the last Bertone. Not only was the design the last from Bertone, it was also the last vehicle to be built by Bertone before the company went bankrupt. If it weren't for the catastrophic spare parts supply from AR/Fiat/FCA/Stellantis, this would be the ultimate future classic.
The less said about the VW ID (regardless of the number), the better. Even today, many people still ask themselves what the designers did for a living.