Someone who has the money to have a "town" car and a "country" car might not have a problem with a "commuter car." Someone who can afford one car and has three kids and a dog is going to be out of luck.
They already make small cars that get great mileage, and they sell a lot of them. They aren't what everyone wants or needs. Most people ride buses because they have to, not because they prefer it. I transport my wife and son (he'll be driving soon), do errands, and many other things that would take me four times as long if I had to use mass transit, and there's a LOT of mass transit where I live.
California has passed a law that mandates low automobile CO2 emissions. The only way to do this in any form of internal combustion engine is to reduce the engine size.
I suspect this law will eventually be flattened by the same Reality Bat as the famous California "Zero Emission Law." Look for "exceptions," schedule stretching, and other workarounds in the next few years.
I believe the technology is coming up quickly that will make things like large electric cars with lots of power and room feasible. I think people will buy them when they deliver what they want at a reasonable price, and not before.
Current Events » in reply to re: We can thank Henry Ford for this.
Who buys the commuter car?