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It is interesting to think about a couple things...
This car (in size at least) falls somewhere between a Smart and the Fiat 500. Smart cars start at $12,500 in the US, and at this price point the car comes with no features... not even a radio to power the two speakers it comes with. The Fiat at $500 cheaper has a much more competetive "stock" feature set against the iQ.
How should Scion position this car? Do they compare it against the Smart, which most consumers would do? The issue I see here is that your average consumer looking for a sub-compact would never actually consider a Smart car, because they are cheap little things with POS transmissions. Should the iQ be compared to a car nobody really wants? Or do they position it as a competitor to the Fiat 500's and Mazda2's which are bigger little cars, with equal or better features and options? Everything else in this segment is much more established...
I'm personally interested to see how well these "premium" sub-compacts do in North America.
The one thing I will say for the iQ vs. the Fiat and the Smart, is that it is an absolute blast to drive. I was lucky enough to boot around in our tester, which has the 16" alloys, TRD lowering springs and rear sway bar. Man, that thing is a little go-kart, and it puts a smile on your face. It is the first Toyota product I have driven in a long time that actually has some personality.
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