10 Tiny But Brilliant Cars North America Never Got

Try as they might, automakers simply haven't been able to sell small cars to people in the United States, no matter how hard they push. The original Ford Fiesta, for example, was intended to be a world car, but it did so poorly in North America that it was immediately dropped after the first generation. American tastes and needs are vastly different from those of European and Japanese drivers, which is why the small, city-friendly car never really managed to strike a chord with American buyers.

As a result, European and Japanese automakers don't see a point in offering their smaller models to North American buyers, keeping them mostly for their local markets. It's a real shame, because that has meant North American buyers have missed out on some truly brilliant small cars. Maybe they were practical, represented creative ways to keep production costs down — and therefore keep prices down — or they were just good fun behind the wheel. Remember, a tiny car isn't necessarily a bad car — sometimes it's a fantastic one. Here are some of our favorites.

One of the most popular city cars in Europe during its heyday, the Toyota Aygo was a joint venture between the Japanese giant and the French PSA Group, owners of Peugeot and Citroen. The resulting family of triplets, the Aygo, the Peugeot 107, and the Citroen C1, took the city car to a whole other level. Cutesy styling concealed an interior that was very spacious by small car standards, as well as legendary Toyota dependability.

You could also get it with a whole lot of mod cons that people weren't really used to seeing in city cars at the time. Air conditioning was a popular option, but a proper navigation system was also available. The trio would go on to see a second generation, with much of the same core values retained, but more distinct styling between them. Unfortunately, the A-segment in Europe was a small footnote by the beginning of the 2020s. 

Toyota isn't ready to give up though, as it now offers the Aygo X, previewed by the Aygo X prologue concept. The Aygo X is a tiny crossover with super affordable pricing and it looks surprisingly practical. The Aygo is a fantastic small car, and it's a shame that most other worldwide markets never got a chance to sample it.

For the longest time, the entry point into the Audi lineup was the A3. The Golf-based small hatchback was introduced in the late 90s, and it went on to write a success story of its own. However, seeing an opportunity with the growing segment of small stylish hatchbacks, of which the likes of the Mini and the Fiat 500 had already been dominating, Audi decided to give it a shot. After some reworking to the VW Polo platform, Audi's stylish small hatchback came out in 2010 in the form of the A1.

It was even smaller than the A3, and even though it was unmistakably an Audi, it was still more stylish and daring than just about anything the automaker was offering outside of the R8. The original A1 even offered the option of silver roof pillars, which bore a slight similarity to the R8's sideblades. The A1 was also offered with a lineup of small efficient VW Group engines, and there was even a hot S1 with a turbo four banger making 231 hp and AWD.

Even though this segment isn't nearly as big as it once was, Audi still offers the A1. It even offers a slightly raised, customizable A1 Citycarver version, which has small crossovers firmly in its sights. Although Audi has a reputation for very no-nonsense cars, the A1 is proof that the company's designers and engineers know how to let their hair down every once in a while.

Renault had no idea it was about to launch a total small-car revolution back in the early 90s, but that's exactly what happened when the first generation Twingo officially went on sale in 1992. The idea was fairly simple: Make a car to replace the R4 that would be cheap to manufacture and buy, but also wouldn't feel prehistoric in just about every aspect. The Twingo stuck to these core pillars very well, which is why it was an enormous runaway success.

The initial run of Twingos featured a pushrod four-cylinder engine, and options included color-coded key interior pieces, a sunroof, and a fantastic palette of pleasing color schemes and incredibly 90s interior upholstery. Eventually, Renault would begin installing more modern powertrains and finessing the Twingo, but the first generation was such a success, that it carried on with very few changes until 2006.

While the second-generation cars were far more conventional, they still retained the Twingo's core pillars: basic, affordable, and incredibly competent transportation. This was also true of the most recent Twingo, despite the move to a rear-engine, RWD design thanks to sharing a bloodline with the Smart Forfour. Now, Renault is poised to bring back the original Twingo design as a super affordable EV, and it can't come soon enough.

By the 1990s, Ford had already been doing the small car thing quite well, despite the Fiesta's flop in North America after multiple failed marketing pushes. With the Twingo kicking the ultra-affordable small car hype into high gear, Ford saw an opportunity for an even more affordable vehicle to slot below the Fiesta. The end result was the Ka, which like the Twingo, would go on to become a runaway success abroad.

Thanks to using a familiar platform from the Fiesta, and a proven, albeit antiquated powertrain initially, the Ka was cheap to manufacture and incredibly cheap to buy. The initial run of Kas didn't even have painted bumpers, and there were also no trim levels at first. Those might seem like befuddling decisions today, but a lot of that helped the Ka achieve success.

This is yet another small car that was so successful, the first generation lasted for a very, very long time. The Ka was still around even when Ford's Kinetic Design started to take hold, despite the Ka itself being styled with the automaker's New Edge design language. It also spawned the SportKa and StreetKa derivatives, both of which had more power, sportier styling, and a folding soft top in the case of the StreetKa. The second generation car was based on the Fiat 500, and it also did quite well, but the third generation would sadly spell the end of this great little car as we know it.

Also known as the Mazda Demio in the Japanese domestic market, the Mazda 2 was the Japanese automaker's answer to cars like the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo. This one is cheating slightly, as the Mazda 2 would eventually reach North America as the Toyota Yaris/Scion iA. The second-generation car sold from 2007 to 2015, and didn't make the cut, however. It's easy to understand why, but one look at the Mazda 2 makes it clear what Americans missed out on.

The second-generation Mazda 2 was one of only a couple of B-segment cars offering a driving experience that induced smiles and giggles. That shouldn't come as a surprise, given all of Mazda's seriously fast sports cars and, you know, the Miata. The Mazda 2, like most of the automaker's lineup, also captured some of the essence of the Miata, with a responsive drivetrain and a shifter that felt like it was pulled right from the two-seat legend.

When you needed it, the Mazda 2 took off its clown shoes and put on a pair of perfectly ordinary sneakers. It was practical, spacious, well-equipped, and really cheap in just about every market. While not as successful as its European contemporaries, it offered a fantastic alternative for those looking for a bit more fizz out of their subcompact car.