The Return of the Micro Car

The Micro car appeared in the masses with the success of the Volkswagen Beetle and the BMW Isetta after the Second World War. Known for their great gas mileage and inexpensive sticker price they were a huge success in their day. With movies such as "Herby the Love Bug" which gave a big boost to the sales of the little Volkswagen Beetle and television shows such as "Mr. Bean" which gave the Mini Cooper a boost in public awareness. There soon became a following of these small cars, not only when they were made but also in the classic car collector's market.

Even in the 1980's the Micro car continued its reign on the roads with the Geo Metro, American Motor Company's Gremlin, and the Ford Pinto. However, for a long period of time the Micro car seemed to have been thrown from America's roads for the rest of eternity. Even the Geo Metro grew to the size of a regular vehicle. Luckily there seems to be a rise in their popularity again.

Recently with high gas prices there has been a need for more efficient cars which brought on an array of vehicles, from E 85 to hybrids. However the Micro car is slowly starting to make a comeback. Not only in gas models but also in alternative fuels. Recently there has been a Compressed Air Car, which compresses its own air tank by reversing the process its motor uses to generate mechanical energy, coming up for sale over seas. But more true to the micro car spirit has come to the world thanks to the Tata Nano which was developed in India to meet its bursting needs for economical vehicles. At about $2500 it is extremely affordable. And recently has been considered for the United States market whose safety standards would modify it to the price of $8000. Even with the massive jump in price it would still be the cheapest automobile available for American use. The Tata Nano has already sold more then 30,000 cars in the few years it has been in production making some of the other car manufacturers of the world envious. General Motors is even toying with the idea of making a cost effective and gas efficient model to compete with the new sensation.

Unfortunately the details of the car are being kept under wraps. However General Motors is expecting to introduce the car in the next two years. Other companies are also following the lead including a Chinese company that has produced a model with doors that open skyward like the famed Delorean of the film "Back To The Future". The world may once again see a large population of these micro cars on there roads.

For more information on Micro cars go to www.thesamba.com , www.microcarmuseum.comwww.tatamotors.comhttp://www.thetorquereport.com/2007/04/will_the_rising_gas_prices_for_1.html

Or search the web.