• MSBNC/AP, Monday, April 2, 2007 12:15 PM

General Motors is in the very early stages of investigating whether there is a market in the U.S. for mini cars, which are significantly smaller than the sub-compact cars currently sold in the region by several automakers. Mini cars are capable of achieving as much as 50 miles per gallon of gasoline.

At the New York auto show Wednesday, GM plans to show three different models of mini cars based on the tiny Chevrolet Matiz and Spark that are sold in several markets and in hot demand internationally due to space constraints and high gasoline prices. In coming months, it will collect research data to gauge consumer interest through an online voting campaign at www.vote4chevrolet.com.

GM group Vice President John Smith admits that in past customer studies in the U.S "there hasn't been a whole lot of hand-raising for things as small as the Matiz"--partially because Americans, who pay relatively little for gasoline compared with drivers in other countries, prefer bigger vehicles.

Read the whole story at MSBNC/AP »