Small cars set to become the next big thing

Japanese, U.S. carmakers due to release group of pocket-sized cars

In the 1960s, when smaller-sized Japanese cars started to arrive on the American automobile market, there were snickers about their inferior quality and lack of styling. The Datsuns and Toyotas were thought to be poorly built compared to American cars, but Americans bought them all the same, warming to their relatively low prices.

How the has world has changed since then. These days, big Japanese car names like Toyota, Honda and Nissan are firmly entrenched in the American automobile market and, unlike their American counterparts, their cars are seen as the vanguard of style and good quality.

Now those Japanese car makers are sniffing an opportunity to bring small cars back into the U.S. car market, and given the potential for growth in the segment, not many are snickering.

At this January