Remember When Small Meant Inexpensive?

This morning I was having a discussion with a coworker about my unintended usage of verbosity; ) I have always loved to read, which has given me a fairly large vocabulary… which then causes me to use words that may be a syllable or two in excess of what was actually needed. The word in discussion this morning was Dichotomous and the small nuanced differences between it and Oxymoron. I know I am strange about this, but anytime a discussion reverts to searches on Dictionary.com or Wikipedia.com I feel fulfilled. I love learning about words…

So, before I go too far afield from the auto industry and the purpose of this blog, let me get back to why to why this has any relevance to today’s post. This morning’s research brought two potential stories together that relate to the automotive industry and the direction being taken in regards to small cars. The first story, being reported by CBS MoneyWatch, highlights a trend towards much smaller cars, with upgraded interiors, engines, overall performance, and of course price. The idea is not that new, and I am sure you have noticed if you have looked at the sticker price on new and cool cars like the Mini, Fiat 500 or the Scion FR-S. Neat little cars / Wow that’s expensive. The second story comes from Nissan Motor Company which intends to bring back the Datsun nameplate beginning in 2014, with the expressed intent of developing a very small, very low cost vehicle for the world market. Two dichotomous stories about how the industry is developing the small car market. Life is harmonious that way…