Hmmm, sounds like Honda, eh?

As a US Citizen I wish I could same to the same for GM, Ford and Chrysler, but a whole lot of different descriptive words come to mind for the 2.8.

I know what you mean. Just imagine what would have happened had they imported the JDM Suzuki Swift and used it in lieu of the Aveo or as a sporty complement to the Aveo. I hear the JDM Swift is a sweet little car and I’m disappointed that we can’t get them here.

Anyway, it’s best GM got out of that situation while they could because they may have actually wound up with a desirable small car. The horror!

:D

crisis averted.

Not that you don’t already know, but Civics (and of course Hondas in general) shine much brighter with manual trannys than with slushboxes.

However, I’m unfortunately talking about the latter here, as my girl has almost no hand/eye corrdination.
It’s not quite painfully slow in acceleration, but more often than not, I’m yearning for moar powah when driving her car! Of course, that’s just me.

That A112 is a sharp little car.

I’d love to see small cars embraced in the US. I’d like to see some concessions made to help make them more compelling (special lanes/HOV use maybe, parking preference in urban areas). I’d always have a vehicle capable of toting the whole family, but during my weekly commute I’d happly hoon my way to work in one of these little cars.

I’ve got 115 HP in my VW Cabrio and it’s got plenty of zip. I wish the car was closer in weight to the mid-80s version (maybe 500 lbs lighter).

Maybe if gas keeps going up I’ll get serious about looking for an Autobianchi with 900cc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A112

Thanks for that most amusing, yet informative video! Damn that looks fun!

I watched that video with a huge smile on my face. Those things are tiny and look like a hell of a lot of fun!

I have never had a problem with my 05 Civic (MT). It no sports car, but with 112hp, it can still get out of its own way enough to be entertaining.

True. Makes perfect sense.

Now, I must be opitimizing your average American here, but I would not feel safe in a car that weighs so little.
I’m not saying they’re not safe, but in the daily American sea of huge trucks and (C)SUVs, I’d be terrified.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ptiMZTm4F34

I owned an Autobianchi A112E back in the early 90s. It has a 900cc engine and did quite well. There was seating for 4 and still a bit of a cargo area big enough for a couple overnight bags. For a couple of people and folding the rear seats down there was plenty of space for cross country trips though this was not what the cars were built for.

I’d have to guess that acceleration was around 15 seconds to 100 kph and it would top out at around 80 miles per hour. It was a surprisingly good little car although none of it’s previous owners (all 30+ of them I’d guess) took very good care of it. Rust, cracks in the chassis, and worn suspension really doomed it.

Miss it and would like to have another even here in the USA.

Personally speaking though, I could not, and will not, ever purchase a car in this category (stateside example: smart ForTwo). Anything under 100hp is just inadequate to me. I can barely tolerate how slowly my old lady’s ‘01 Civic accelerates.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I’m a boy racer that needs to blast off the line like every stoplight is a 1/4 mile, but I would like at least enough power to keep up with general traffic.

Obviously, power is sacrificed for fuel economy, which is the point of these cars. However, I’d gladly pay more for gas.