Compact Car

A new ranking of auto brands and models placed Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. at the top. Total Car Score ( www.totalcarscore.com ) looked at auto review and ratings sites and measured which brands and vehicles received the most kudos.  The idea was to develop a comprehensive evaluation that takes advantage of expert opinions and ratings of autos, said Karl Brauer, founder and chief executive of Total Car Score. Ford earned the most Total Car Score awards with a top-scoring vehicle in five of 20 categories.

Just as in past gasoline cost surges, the prices for used compact cars and hybrids are starting to rise quickly, according to auto information company Kelley Blue Book. Although the average price of used fuel-efficient compacts at auction rose a modest 0.4% in February, it jumped 1.3% in the last week of the month. Hybrid prices rose 3.6% in the last week, Kelley Blue Book said. "The 2010 Toyota Prius led in gains, increasing in value $1,370 through the month of February," said Alec Gutierrez, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

Cadillac, the upscale General Motors Co. brand, plans to come out with a luxury electric compact car — based on the decidedly blue-collar Chevrolet Volt. GM said Wednesday that the Cadillac ELR will use a drivetrain similar to what it developed for the Chevrolet Volt, which will enable the new model to travel some distance on only electricity before a gas motor kicks in to act as a generator and extend the vehicle's range. Such a system is known as a series plug-in hybrid vehicle, but others, including GM, call it an extended-range electric vehicle.

It depends perhaps upon one's affection for cars, but the biggest compliment to be paid to the 2012 Honda Civic is its utter lack of flash. Now in its ninth generation, the redesigned Civic is the automotive equivalent of beige. It's a well-engineered wallflower with a no-muss, no-fuss driving experience. And I mean that in the best way possible. There's a reason almost 9million Honda Civics have been sold in the U.S. since this compact car was introduced in 1973, most notably its extreme sensibility.

Shopping for a compact car is typically an exercise for your left brain. This hemisphere of your mind where logic resides delights in how rational and economical cars in this segment can be. Meanwhile, the more visually oriented right side of your brain (that also dabbles with emotion) hears "compact car" and goes numb with boredom and starts replaying episodes of "The Cosby Show. " After all, what's more visually stimulating than one of Heathcliff's sweaters? Thankfully, Hyundai's 2011 Elantra takes traditional compact car sensibility and mixes in just enough aesthetic moxie and creature comforts to keep the right side of your brain engaged.

Ten years ago, the new Chrysler PT Cruiser was one of the hottest cars out of Detroit. On Friday, the last one will be built, signaling the end of the line for a beloved little car. The compact retro car was in such high demand when it debuted in 2000 that buyers were kept on waiting lists. Some were willing to pay thousands more than the sticker price. The PT Cruiser was unveiled during the SUV craze, but its quirky styling and useful interior made it a sensation. It helped establish Chrysler as a design leader, sold far beyond the automaker's expectations and became one of the rare American small cars that was an undisputed hit. "For a while it was the best-selling Chrysler-brand vehicle," said Jim Hall, managing director of consultancy 2953 Analytics.

On the jam-packed elevated highways of China's commercial capital, the big sedans that once dominated the local car market are sharing lanes with a growing number of compact upstarts. Boxy Volkswagen Santana sedans and sleek black Buick Regals made by joint ventures between foreign automakers and Chinese companies still far outnumber the economy models on local roads, but that's fast changing.

Honda Motor Co. plans to lure young American consumers by rolling out a compact car for the U.S. market next year that will be priced lower than its Civic sedan. "Civic is becoming a bit higher-priced for some of the young people," said Tom Elliot, Honda's North American sales chief. One model Honda is considering is a version of the subcompact car that is marketed as Fit in Japan and Jazz in Europe, Elliot said.

A motorcyclist suffered major head injuries Friday when she struck a car whose driver swerved to avoid a truck on the Orange Freeway, a California Highway Patrol officer said. The San Bernardino resident, 40, whose name was withheld, was southbound near Tonner Canyon Road about 7 a.m. when she struck a compact car driven by a 47-year-old Corona woman, Officer John Sisk told City News Service.