Enterprise: Global Business

Honey, I Shrunk the Kia

Large, powerful cars have always symbolized the good life. But in the shadow of this ethos of big, there's long been a contrarian philosophy of smaller, lighter, cheaper. Inside the colorful history of the small car.

General Motors' legendary design boss Harley Earl once summed up the theory of automotive evolution as a forward march in the direction of 'longer, lower, wider.' Indeed, large, powerful cars have long symbolized the good life, fueling the fantasies of would-be drivers and filling the coffers of automakers. But in the shadow of this ethos of big there's also long been a contrarian philosophy of smaller, lighter, cheaper. Now as the realities of expensive fuel and global warming bump up against the hunger of huge numbers of people in emerging nations for wheels of their own, the colorful history of the small car is about to add an exciting new chapter. Photo: Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures-Getty Images