After years of rising car prices and new models growing ever biggereven pricier EVs, the tide may be turning. Cheap, small cars saw an upswing in sales in 2024, and automakers are noticing. Manufacturers like Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen are all planning to add small models back to their lineups in the next few years. For today’s question, we want to know what small models you’d like to see make a return?
The Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Accent are just a few examples of affordable small cars that have been discontinued for the U.S. market in recent years. Would any of these models be worthy of a comeback? Personally, I think Ford is in dire need of something small and cheap. The automaker stupidly abandoned the car market years ago, discontinuing anything that wasn’t an SUV, crossover or a pickup, leaving the Mustang as the only real car Ford makes.
That left a massive hole that a new Fiesta or Focus could fill if Ford got it right. And now that the Maverick is not as cheap as it once was, with the 2025 model starting at nearly $28,000, there’s plenty of room for Ford to come out with something that starts at just around $20,000. (Let’s be honest, we’re likely not going to see a new small car under $20,000 from any automaker any time soon, but I’d love to be proven wrong.)
Now we ask you, Jalopnik reader. What small car should make a comeback in our year of the lord 2025? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll gather the best answers next week.
