“In the car!” No. 7: Where have the city cars gone?

Dear readers,

" Desperately seeking city car ": this is the kind of classified ad that could become widespread in the press. Since the start of the Covid health crisis, almost all city cars in the A0 segment, that is, models measuring around 3.40 to 3.60 m, have left the scene. This is the case for vehicles resulting from the PSA-Toyota cooperation – Peugeot 108, Citroën C1 and Toyota Aygo – but also the Renault Twingo and its cousin Smart Forfour. The disappearance of these small city cars largely explains the drop in French registrations of around 400,000 units per year since 2020.

There are no longer any vehicles priced around €10,000. The entry-level car price is now set at €12,990, with the Fiat Pandina and the Dacia Sandero. Whose fault is this? Emission and safety standards. Today, an A-segment vehicle has become as expensive to produce as a B-segment vehicle. Manufacturers are faced with the impossibility of making these models profitable, as they must not only comply with CAFE emission standards but also integrate the GSR2 suite of safety and driver assistance features, which add to development costs. A return of A0-segment city cars seems unlikely, unless Japanese Kei Cars are imported. Driver assistance systems will be strengthened, and manufacturers are being forced to switch to electric propulsion through increasingly stringent taxation.

Happy reading and safe travels!