Why can't any of these car companies build a sensible 3 cylinder engine car, no bling, and sell it cheap.?

Question

One great idea, the geo metro, the ford festiva, those were what we needed all along. Someone decided that America needed bigger cars, bigger engines. Please, why can't we get them to listen and just build a cheap car with a small engine. I don't need to do 100 miles an hour, I need to get by with $100 gas a month. GM, Ford, Chrysler, are you listening?

Answer 1

because they dont want you to waste only 100$ on gas. they want you to wast 300 or 500 or 1000 on gas. welcome to bush's america land of the freely imprisoned

Answer 2

They were terrible. That's why. Unbalanced, and not incredible on gas as they were so under-powered. The fewer cylinders you have, the more engine vibrations you'll get through the car. Hense why 4 is as small as anyone goes anymore. Also 3 cylinder cars can't get out of their own way, try passing someone on a 2-way highway

Answer 3

There is no reason why they can't (notice I said "can't"). They DON'T build them because that isn't what consumers want. Consumers vote with their wallets, and plenty of people continue to buy huge vehicles with powerful engines. I'm sure that you've heard all of the excuses for that (safety, space, etc).

Answer 4

No profit!

Answer 5

Pontiac Firefly, Suzuki Swift, Geo Metro, Ford Festiva, Dihatsu Charade, Saab 93, were all cars with the 3 cylinder that were sold into the US market and just never took on in our country.  Currently there are many different models with a 3 cylinder engine in them, but they don't seem to be selling like hotcakes in the European market, where fuel economy concerns greatly eclipse those of the US.  Here is a partial list:

Å koda Fabia

Peugeot 107

Citroën C1

Toyota Aygo

If the US market would SUPPORT the small fuel efficient models, I promise the auto manufacturers would sell them, but historically this is a value based segment of the economy, and if the automakers are making little or nothing on the product, both in the initial sale and in the care (dealer repairs) why would they want to sell it.

Answer 6

The car companies STOP making them because people were into bling, bling.

Now they will listen.

===

Back in the mid 90's people were more concerned about gas cost.  Then during the 2000, everybody started making lots of money (do you remember that?) and started buying big cars with big engines.

Well that's all gone now.

Good Luck...

Answer 7

They were junk unfortuantly!! Get a small 4 cylinder..

John yeah they can the Chevy Sprint was a 3 cylinder so was the Metro..

Answer 8

They can, they just need a market to sell them in.

Answer 9

Becuase small 3cyl engines usually come with SMALL UNSAFE CARS that nobody wants. I've seen electric go-carts bigger than the 3cyl cars that you are talking about.

I would rather drive a BIG 6000Ib Chevy van that gets 15City19HWmpg and be safe than drive a small car like that and DIE!!!!!

Answer 10

Tell me about it!

Bigger engines without a purpose because of the speed limit.



I believe these greedy ppl are more interested in the big bucks than producing what customers really want!

They always seek to make things bigger & 'better'....but that's just how they want their pockets because they want you to spend what you don't have!

Answer 11

I think we're going to see more and more "economy" cars being developed by car companies in the next few years as sales of SUVs and Pickups continue to go into "the tank" because of high fuel prices.

While I don't really want a stripped down $hitbox like a Metro, I have been waiting for a couple of years for someone to come out with a decent small hatchback (a hatchback for more useful space in a small package) that gets 45+mpg for under $20,000.  I think the market for a car like that is going to explode in the next 3 years and hopefully domestic car companies can beat foreign companies to the punch....although they'll probably just keep pushing 400+hp musclecars and 15mpg SUVs until they kill themselves off entirely instead if history is any indication of the future......LOL.