Fuel Economy Now Selling

Back in the late 1950s and 1960s, a small-car boom occurred in the U.S. Dozens of foreign makes hit the market, built in Europe and, to a lesser extent, Asia.

Small World
Mini-sized cars with strange names—Goggomobil, Skoda, DKW, Messerschmitt, DAF—suddenly appeared on the American scene. More familiar makes also entered the small-car market, from Austin and Morris in England to Renault and Simca in France, from Borgward in Germany to Fiat in Italy. Japan also entered the small-car fray early. Toyota arrived in 1958, Datsun around the same time.


Few foreign models came anywhere close to the iconic Volkswagen Beetle in sales, yet they drew attention that transcended their numbers.

Split Decision
This happened alongside the "horsepower race," when American cars were bigger than ever. Americans were split, between those who adored big cars from Detroit and those who savored the technical finesse and efficiency of foreign makes. Of course, stereotypical foreign-car owners often were pictured as elitist, in contrast to "real" Americans who drove expansive automobiles with throbbing V-8s.


During the 1950s, a few comparatively small cars also hailed from American automakers, including the cute little Nash Metropolitan convertible, early Nash Ramblers, and the short-lived Henry J. More American compacts debuted in 1959-60, but they weren't all that small, and held six-cylinder engines rather than fours.