Big new technology is happening in small cars
Tuesday, 16 July 2019
On the face of things, if you look at what's happening with the small car segment of New Zealand's new vehicle market, you'd think it is in big trouble. Thanks to an onslaught from compact SUVs which are now selling at a rate of better than 1700 a month, the small car segment is progressively shrinking.
Whereas in 2016 and 2017 an average of 1600 of the small cars were sold each month, last year that decreased to 1400 a month, and so far this year the monthly average isn't much more than 1000 vehicles. So does that represent big trouble for small cars? Yes and no.
The yes is because the segment is indeed shrinking – not that it particularly worries the car companies or the consumers, because small car sales have simply been replaced by small SUV sales in what continues to be a buoyant new vehicle sales industry, even though things have softened slightly so far this year.
But the no is because despite the small car segment's shrinking size, it continues to be an epicentre of some really good motor vehicle innovation - much of which is a pointer to the future within other vehicle segments.
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The recently-launched Mazda3 is an outstanding example. The Japanese brand believes that reducing motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions isn't simply a case of switching to electric vehicles – at least not until the whole world runs on renewable energy.
It forecasts internal combustion engines will continue to power most of the world's motor vehicles for the foreseeable future, so it is working to continually improve combustion efficiency . It has adopted what it calls a 'well to wheel' approach to reducing emissions, which considers everything from fossil fuels extraction to manufacturing and shipping, as well as driving.
The new Mazda3 is a product of this thinking. Models now on sale in NZ are already powered by evolved SkyActiv-G 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre engines that boast CO2 emissions well below the national average, and next year these engines will be joined by revolutionary new engine technology called SkyActiv-X, which in a world-first will employ a method of compression-ignition combustion to seriously reduce emissions.
It's forecast SkyActiv-X engines will improve fuel efficiency (and therefore lower CO2 emissions) by up to 30 per cent. It's all part of Mazda's grand plan to reduce CO2 emissions from its vehicle by up to 50 per cent of 2010 levels by 2030, and by 90 per cent by 2050.
Meanwhile, with its new Corolla range Toyota has moved in another direction to achieve essentially the same result.
Not only does this 12th generation version feature a new 2.0-litre direct injected petrol engine that is more powerful yet more frugal with CO2 emissions of 139g/km, but the latest range also includes two petrol-electric hybrids that boast very low emissions of 97g/km.
Market acceptance of the hybrids has been excellent, with 521 of them registered by the end of May. Year to date 32.3 per cent of Corolla sales have been the hybrid models, and May itself saw this percentage jump to better than 50 per cent.
Another new model on the small car scene is the Ford Focus, and it too is chock-full of innovation.
A major motor industry trend throughout the world is development of new small-capacity engines that offer plenty of power and torque thanks to turbocharging or supercharging, but because of their smaller size use less fuel.
The Focus is an outstanding example of this trend. It is powered by an EcoBoost 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that gives it spirited performance, but which thanks to cylinder deactivation can automatically operate on just two cylinders while cruising.
Kia's new Cerato is another innovative small car – not so much because of its engines, but because of its overall design.
This hatch is available in LX, EX and GT Line forms that are all powered by a 2.0-litre normally aspired four cylinder engine. There's also a GT which delivers extra performance via a 150kW 1.6-litre turbocharged engine mated to a seven-speed twin-clutch auto.
That's all reasonably conventional, but what is somewhat unusual is the design of the Cerato itself. Thanks to a longer bonnet and increased cabin length, from some angles it looks more like a wagon than a hatch. On the inside, this translates not only to excellent passenger room, but also to the most cargo space in the small car class at 428 litres with all seats in use.
Cerato might officially be considered a hatchback, but in many respects its design heads towards the SUV genre.
The Focus goes in the SUV direction in a different way with the forthcoming Active version, which has raised ride height, chunky styling and even a Trail mode for soft surfaces (although it's still FWD-only).
Could this be the start of something new – a means by which small cars can use both their design and their technical innovation to remain relevant in the face of the market onslaught from SUVs? Could be.