Small wonders

The Kia Soul has become a star on YouTube: in an advertisement, the small angular Soul is driven by hip-hop hamsters through a world of dull cardboard box cars. The Soul stands out as the only cool one — a trucklike car with a pugnacious appearance whose offbeat, almost cartoonish character appeals to young drivers.

The Soul wears the tiger-mouth grille that the former Audi design chief Peter Schreyer made into the signature Kia face. But its personality is very different from other Kias. The Soul's rear cargo area is like a backpack, says Tom Kearns, Kia's American design studio chief. With its upright, square hatch and devil's-horn tail lights, it suggests youthful mischief.

Personality matters
Designers are turning out small cars with quirky characters to woo young drivers. This year's quirkiest new vehicle may be the Nissan Juke crossover, whose hood-mounted headlights and haunch-like rear fenders make it resemble an aggressive bullfrog. "It was inspired by rally cars," says Juke's chief designer, Alfonso Albaisa.

The Juke appears to have two sets of headlights, which is as disconcerting as two sets of eyes in a cartoon character. This, Albaisa says, echoes the look of rally cars with extra headlights. "Young buyers know rally cars from television and video games," he says. (See our review on page 16.)

Such strikingly individualised small cars contrast with the reliable but unadventurous economy models of the past, like the Toyota Corolla. Now Scion offers the tiny but friendly iQ, and Chevrolet is rolling out the Sonic (whose name even sounds like a video game character). Ford has replaced its bland small cars of the past with the Fiesta and Focus: sportier, more sculptured models introduced in Europe, where small cars are given more design attention.

"Personality is becoming a factor in differentiation and marketing," says Joel Piaskowski, Ford's Design Director for North America. He is known for his work at Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz before he joined Ford. "Small cars have to have character," he says. For years, there were lots of small cars that were bland, but people bought them because they were reliable, got you from Point A to Point B and retained resale value. But people have moved away from that.

"The price of entry to the market is good design as well as quality," Piaskowski says. Beyond that, he says, vehicles with personality are more likely to succeed. "People want something with more character that reflects their own personality and lifestyle."

Economic constraints and the demographics of an urbanising population are increasing the popularity of smaller models and the need for manufacturers to sell more of them. Ford, for instance, expects small cars to make up 55 per cent of its total sales by 2020. Manufacturers must sell more small cars to meet higher fleet economy regulations.

But the carmakers also want to sell those smaller cars at higher prices, so they are making them more attractive. ‘Premium small' cars, as the auto executives call them, offer more features and better materials.

Designers of models such as the Mini Cooper and the Volkswagen Beetle have channelled the personalities of predecessor vehicles to attract current drivers. The Mini's appeal has been kept alive with the introduction of new models and a constant variety of graphic and interior option packages that let buyers customise the cars. Other makers are following that strategy.

Good memories of yesterday
For Volkswagen's newest version of the Beetle, by contrast, abundant pop personality has been tempered with practicality. The bulbous New Beetle has been flattened and lengthened: the good things were exaggerated, the bad things omitted. Now, the trunk has grown and the rear seat passengers have more room.

Fiat, returning to America as an owner of Chrysler, designed its 500 coupe and convertible to stir memories also — but less specific ones, of Italian culture, Vespas, Olivettis and Audrey Hepburn. Roberto Giolito, designer of the concept that became the new 500, says he sought to render the essence, not details, of the classic 500. "It had a double bubble body shape," he says. "We took that theme." The result is as personable as Luigi, the 500 in the Pixar film Cars."

In case anyone doubts that its car is a fashion item, Fiat offers a Gucci edition, with green/red/green stripe and Gucci-patterned seat upholstery. The Scion iQ, Toyota's smallest car, is about the size of a Smart Fortwo but fits four people — just barely. Like the Smart, which starred in films from Woody Allen's Scoop to The Da Vinci Code, the car looks cuter observed in action, than when being driven.

The Aston Martin Cygnet is a $48,000 version of the iQ, done up with a wood and leather interior worthy of an Aston Martin Volante. At roughly three times the price of the iQ, it is being offered as what the company has described as a dinghy to match the yachts of Aston Martin sports cars. The pair play a sort of prince and pauper twist on the petite personality story.