Next-Gen Honda Civic to Shrink as Automakers Pursue More Efficiency

Here's an interesting factoid: Although the first Honda Civic was some 40 inches longer than today's Smart fortwo, the German city car actually outweighs the Japanese product by more than 300 lbs. In other words, that original Civic was a truly tiny car. But somewhere along the line, tastes changed and that Honda grew up. And out. And in pretty much all other dimensions, too.

The 2010 Honda Civic Sedan (pictured) is almost the same 40 inches longer than the '72 model, and it's more than 1,100 lbs. heavier. Considering the present-generation car only weighs about 2,600 lbs. itself, that represents a serious, serious weight gain. And perhaps the most telling evidence of the Civic's growth is the fact that the company has been able to squeeze in another product below it in the U.S. market: the Honda Fit.

So, naturally, most people assumed that when the Civic went for its next makeover, likely in 2011, it would come out slightly bigger yet. But here's where the whole "you know what happens when you assume" thing comes into play. Because it turns out that, per "Automotive News," the OEM is making another aggressive move to increase its fuel-economy ratings by going "lighter" and "smaller" with the new Civic.

Of course, everything's relative, and my understanding of the situation is that Honda is going to try to put together a better, more efficient interior package within the current vehicle's general exterior dimensions. Which is certainly better than the alternative.

General Motors also has made an assertive move on the small-car front recently, making a $416 million investment in it's Korean subsidiary, Daewoo. It's an important step, as Daewoo has become a center of the General's small-car design efforts, contributing significantly to the development of the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.

On the other hand, GM's hand was forced here to some extent. GM Daewoo needed the money to deal with some debt problems, and none of the company's other stakeholders — which hold 49.1 percent of the enterprise — would pony up.

Continuing to play connect the automakers here, Suzuki happens to be one of those "other stakeholders," and it's probably no surprise that that company doesn't want to boost its investment in Daewoo. After all, the two automakers soon will be engaging in some heated competition here in the U.S. with the Cruze on the one side and new products from a revitalized Suzuki on the other.

The latter's Suzuki Kizashi midsize sedan, slated to go on sale here in the coming months, has already stunned the automotive press for its combination of style and affordability — and, certainly, the fact that Suzuki has produced a credibly competitive product in the first place. Particularly notable is that the Kizashi will offer Suzuki's latest all-wheel-drive system, which will feature a front-wheel-drive mode for better fuel efficiency.

Subaru has had a pretty tight lock on the AWD small-car segment, but with the Kizashi and the cult-favorite Suzuki SX4, that race could tighten up in a hurry. And if the Kizashi gains traction in this country, it's likely Suzuki also will bring its next-generation Swift to the country. The present-generation Swift has been a success in Asia and Europe, and the company has admitted the next one is being designed to make it easy to comply with U.S. safety regulations on the odd chance it will need to.

(And just to go all Abbott & Costello here, it's amusing to note that a previous generation Suzuki Swift, an unrelated small SUV, showed up in some markets as the equally-unrelated-to-its-current-namesake Chevrolet Cruze. And that there's currently a unique Suzuki Swift+, offered only in Canada, that's actually a rebadged Chevrolet Aveo (pictured right), that's actually a rebadged Daewoo Kalos. "Who's on first," indeed.)

Finally, I can't end a story about OEMs proactively pushing small, more fuel-efficient cars without providing an update on the electric vehicle front, where two of the independents are making big news. For Tesla, it's all about the Colorado income tax credit — some $42,000 worth for the normally $100,000+ electric Roadster. The thinking in the Centennial State is that buyers of EVs and similar vehicles should get a credit representing the technology premium they're paying above the sticker price of competitive cars.

With Tesla, that 40 grand essentially represents the difference in MSRPs between its Roadster and the semi-similar but gasoline-powered Lotus Elise, on which the Tesla is based.

Even bigger than that, though, is the amount of money that Fisker is supposed to be spending to buy ($18 million) and retool (about $175 million) GM's plant in Wilmington, Del. Fisker plans to begin building a sub-$40,000 high-efficiency vehicle of some sort in the plant, with things getting started by 2011. I'd feel a lot better about this news if Fisker's first product, the twice-as-expensive Karma plug-in hybrid, seemed a little closer to reality.

That vehicle is supposed to start production in Finland just about any second now, since it's supposed to go on sale in the U.S. before 2009 is over. Maybe that's what they mean by a "holiday miracle."