The Sonic replaces the poorly-received Aveo in the Chevrolet lineup, and is expected to be a considerable improvement within the subcompact segment, both in terms of fuel economy and overall quality. But as Green Car Reports pointed out earlier this week, it actually achieves inferior fuel economy to Chevy’s larger Cruze Eco compact, which gets 42 mpg on the highway and a 33 mpg overall rating.

Pricing for the Cruze Eco and the Sonic turbo model is also similar, with the Sonic hatchback starting at $18,130, just a few hundred dollars less than the $18,425 Cruze Eco. (The non-hatchback Sonic sedan is somewhat cheaper, coming in at $17,235.)

For Chevy shoppers considering their small, fuel efficient gas car options, the choice between the Sonic and Cruze won’t be all that stark. Both cars are similarly priced and offer similar fuel economy, with the main arguments for the Sonic being that it comes in a hatchback variant, or, that for drivers not worried about losing a little space, the sedan comes in at a discount of about $1,200 compared to the Cruze.

Subcompacts from other carmakers like the Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta also follow the same pattern in terms of their efficiency: city fuel economy in the high-20′s, highway fuel economy in the high-30′s or low-40s. One small car that does differentiate itself from the field is the new Scion iQ—not because its overall fuel economy is dramatically higher than that of competitors, but because of how those numbers are balanced between city and highway mileage.

The Scion iQ is a small, “3+1”-seat minicar with fuel economy balanced more toward urban driving. At 36 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, the iQ stands out from pack of sub-$20,000 efficient gas cars. (Only the Smart ForTwo comes close on city fuel economy, at 33 mpg.) The trade-off with the iQ is that it’s a two-door and only seats three adults and one child.

For drivers who spend a lot of time on the open road, there are plenty of inexpensive fuel-efficient new car options like the Chevy Sonic and Cruze Eco. Urban commuters looking to maximize their MPGs have significantly fewer choices though, and may want to consider either downsizing to a minicar or paying a little bit more for a hybrid.

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Perhaps the most striking news is that the automaker plans to release 11 new or redesigned hybrid models by the end of 2012. The company currently sells eight hybrids in the United States—split between the Toyota and Lexus nameplates—and in September repeated its commitment to releasing six new models by 2012.

While word of 11 new and redesigned gas-electric vehicles doesn’t necessarily translate to the release of any more new models than we already knew about, there will likely be a total of at least 14 Toyota hybrids on the market soon.

One of the new releases will be a small hybrid with fuel economy the company says exceeds 40 km/L—equating to a whopping 94 mpg in Japanese testing. It’s too early to know how that will translate to U.S. standards, except that its mileage will likely beat all other current hybrids.

Another new model will be the 7-seat Prius V (sometimes called Prius MPV), which Toyota teased recently on its Facebook page, providing a photo of the MPV’s center console to satiate fans after a “leaked photo” that circulated on the web last month was shown to be a fake. The real Prius V will debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show.

Though Toyota didn’t provide any further details about the Prius V yesterday in Tokyo, Nikkei reports several other interesting tidbits from the event:

• The company plans to price its diminutive iQ-based EV to dip below the 4 million yen price tag carried by competitors like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Though it’s unclear how it will be priced for U.S. consumers, the price point directly converts to somewhere in the mid-$40,000 range. The car will begin road trials in the United States next year.
• Pricing for the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be in the 3 million yen ($36,000) range when that car is released in Japan in 2012. The carmaker says its sales targets for the plug-in hybrid will amount to more than 50,000 vehicles per year globally.
• Toyota still plans to release a fuel cell hybrid in Japan sometime around 2015. The automaker has managed to get the cost for the vehicle below 10 million yen (or $120,000), and says it expects to lower that number further as production nears.
• The company reiterated its commitment to next-generation battery development, saying that it continues to invest in solid-state and metal-air battery research, promising major breakthroughs in energy storage and power. These new technologies—very much still in the research stage—could mean batteries that are smaller, lighter, and capable of allowing electric cars to travel for 500 miles on a single charge.

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Toyota just launched its most miniscule production vehicle yet, the iQ. The tiny 55-miles-per-gallon four-seater will make its debut in Japan before the end of this year, and begin European sales in early 2009. Now that it’s headed to roadways in Japan and Europe, the question is whether or not the iQ will make it across the Pacific. And more importantly, are Americans ready for a call this small?

The Toyota iQ would comfortably slot in below the subcompact Yaris. But if the iQ does head to the US, specific modifications with respect to safety and structure would have to be made. The most significant changes would have to do with rear passenger protection. Even though the iQ is the world’s first vehicle to feature a rear window airbag, there is still a strong concern for passenger safety in a collision from behind. One proposal is to convert the iQ into a two-seater, eliminating the risk for back seat occupants.

As Toyota, Volkswagen, and other foreign car companies move in the direction of smaller, more efficient cars, it is important to note that American-based manufacturers like GM are showing little interest in pursuing the global microcar segment. In an interview with Automotive News, GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster said, “These specialized urban vehicles have a limited market. I think the sweet spot is where we are with the Chevrolet Matiz.” The Matiz is a four-door subcompact—approximately the size of a Chevrolet Aveo—that has been criticized for its underwhelming styling. Some are surprised at GM’s unwillingness to go smaller in order to offset the fuel economy of its larger trucks and SUVs.

Toyota promotional video for iQ concept car.

The iQ is less than 10 feet long from stem to stern. It is powered by either a 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas engine, or a 1.4-liter turbodiesel. It is unclear which, if either of these two, would power the US version of this car. Inside, the four-seater is actually a three-and-a-half seater. One of the back seats is only large enough for either a child or one piece of luggage. Toyota engineers have done a number of things to maximize space in the iQ. They shaped the dash in a forward sweep to allow more legroom, provided thinner seatbacks, tucked the fuel tank beneath the floor, and eliminated the spare tire altogether.

The result is a super tiny, fuel-efficient car, with more room than one would expect, making it a strong global competitor to the Smart FourTwo, Volkswagen Up, and FIAT 500. The iQ is priced at around $14,000 for the Japanese market. Comparable pricing for Europe is expected.

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For starters, the iQ is a four-passenger vehicle while the Smart only carries two. Some might quibble over the size of the iQ’s backseat, and question whether the car can comfortably carry four American adults—Toyota actually told journalists it was a “3 ½-seater,” as if to excuse a semi-functional rear seat.

The iQ is larger than the diminutive Smart, but not by much. Its wheelbase is a little more than five inches longer, and on the whole, the car is only about a foot longer than the Smart—11.4 inches to be exact. That said, its slightly larger size and some under-the-skin engineering wizardry will give the iQ better handling than its competitor, according to Hiroki Nakajima, the vehicle’s chief engineer.

Nakajima also told Automotive News that the iQ will have the best fuel economy of any Toyota other than the Prius. The Prius is currently rated at 48 City/ 45 Highway, while the Yaris gets 29/36—Daimler’s Smart gets 33/41. Chances are, the Toyota iQ will be very close to the Smart in terms of fuel economy, and if it does any better, it’s likely to be only a mile or two difference per gallon.

Although it’s 33 inches shorter than the Yaris, Toyota claims the iQ has more interior space due to engineering advances such as smaller heating and air-conditioning units and high-tensile steel frames that allow thinner passenger seats. The iQ will also be priced close to the Yaris, which could make it a sub-$10,000 vehicle in base trim. The Smart starts about $2,000 higher.

In Japan (and most likely the U.S.,) the Toyota iQ will come with either a 1.3 or 1-liter gasoline engine. The latter is the same size as the Mitsubishi powerplant that is found in the American Smart. In Europe, the iQ will offer a 1.4-liter diesel, which should turn in even better fuel economy. The European Smart diesel clocks in at more than 60 mpg on the highway.

The good news is that more choices in the mini car arena are just what consumers are asking for right now. If the U.S. version of the iQ can deliver breakthrough design features at an enticing price, it could be the first step toward turning micros from a mere curiosity to a mainstay on American roads.

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