During the "Cash for Clunkers" program of the Obama Administration in 2009, car dealerships were swamped with people getting rid of their old Explorers, Windstars, and Tahoes for more fuel efficient vehicles like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Camry.  Many of these customers simply did not believe that the American auto manufacturers had any worth-while products for sale at that point in time.  And this author believes that they were right, but not for much longer.  With market share from GM, Ford, and Chrysler being increasingly diminished over the past 15 years by Toyota, Honda, and other auto makers because of their fuel efficient vehicles, the Big Three in Detroit have been knocked on their ear.  So in true American fashion, they got up, brushed themselves off, and hit the drawing board.
 
    The exciting new products from General Motors and Ford Motor Company have personally excited this author.  The companies have embraced the need for change and have incorporated more high-quality, fuel efficient vehicles to their line up at prices expected to be lower than the premiums commanded by the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla; two of the top selling vehicles in the small car class.  And this is a tall order by Detoit to fill; Toyota has sold more Corollas than any other car in the history of motoring; more than the Volkswagen Beetle.  So what does Detroit have up its sleeve to take on the titans of the small car world?  Well, let's take a look.
 
    Starting with General Motors, the exciting new projects to be announced or put into production from the boys over at the Renaissance Center will revolutionize the product line-up and the image of the company as we know it.  For the 2012 model year, Chevy will introduce the Spark; the smallest vehicle in the Chevrolet line up geared at city dwellers and young buyers.  This vehicle is a 5 door hatchback, seating 4 to 5 people being aimed at the current generation Aveo.  Also in 2012, Chevy will introduce a larger, more refined version of the Aveo, one step up from the Spark.  The new Aveo will have a stronger chassis, European tuned suspension, and more refined 4-cylinder engine.  For this year, the current generation Cobalt will be replaced by the much anticipated Chevy Cruze, built right here in Northeast Ohio.  The Cruze is a 4 door, 5 seat sedan geared for the Civic and Corolla buyers being powered by a 1.8L 4-cylinder or 1.4L turbo-charged 4-cylinder. All of these vehicles lay in wait for GM's most anticipated upcoming vehicle, the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.  All of the above models will get close to 40 mpg and will have ULEV II or P-ZEV emissions ratings from Environmental Protection Agency.  The Chevrolet model line of General Motors already has 10 models that get an EPA estimated 30 mpg or greater; couple that with the new products being developed and your tax dollars really aren't lying; The New GM is really a new GM.
 
    Not to be undone, the cross-town rivals in Dearborn have been working very hard creating a new, global Ford Motor Company.  The leading U.S. auto manufacturer has already been leaps and bounds ahead of their competition with the introduction of its Escape Hybrid SUV and Fusion Sedan Hybrid; the most fuel efficient family sedan in America.  Ford realized that not everyone is keen to Hybrid technology and that a lot of young buyers cannot afford, much less want to buy the "green" car their parents bought.  Already introduced in Europe in 2008, the highly anticipated sales launch of the 2011 Ford Fiesta will come sometime this summer.  The vehicle is the entry level Ford model, made to compete with the new Aveo from Chevy, the Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris.  This 5 seat, 4 door sedan or 5 door hatchback will be powered by a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine expected to offer 40 mpg highway, and 0-60 times of under 10 seconds.  The new global Ford will also introduce it's global version of the Focus for 2012.  Expect this vehicle to be powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder with Ecoboost expected to have around 200 hp while maintaining the mid to upper 30s for efficiency rating.  The introduction of the Transit Connect mpv is a great way for small businesses to move cargo without cutting into the bottom line.  The Transit Connect is powered by the 2.0L 4-cylinder currently found in the Focus; expect 22 in the city and 25 on the highway with a cargo hold just short of the Queen Mary.  Ford has made more strides in fuel efficiency gains and  CO2 reduction than any other auto manufacturer in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Since 2008, Ford has reduced their CO2 emissions by 15 percent while increasing fuel efficiency by 20 percent according to CAFE standards.  This consistent reduction in C02 and rise in fuel efficency is all apart of the new global Ford strategy, a plan that between 2008 and 2013 plans to incorporate around 60 new or significantly modified powertrain and transaxle combinations for maximum power and fuel efficency.
 
    Because of the developments of the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat, Aubrun Hills is doing some major retooling under new boss, Sergio Marchionne.  Chrysler will make a triumphant return to motoring once the retooling has been done with a combination of American and Italian engineering.  Though the firm is making great strides in improving production quality and control, expect that the new vehicles will be powered by the line of 4-cylinder Multiair engines in Fiats current and future line-up.  Expect some news about these remarkable small engines soon.
 
    If you'd like some more information about the vehicles listed above, copy and paste into your search engine, the names listed below:
 
General Motors:
 
       2011 Chevy Cruze
       2012 Chevy Spark
       2012 Chevy Aveo
       GMC Granite Concept
 
Ford:
       2010 Ford Transit Connect
       2011 Ford Fiesta
       2011 Ford Mustang
       2012 Ford Focus
 
Chrysler:
       2011 Fiat 500
       2011 Fiat Panda