Star cars of 2008 - part 1 - City cars

Fiat 500
Price £7900-£12,000
On sale January
What's new? It's a 21st-century 500

The most eagerly awaited city car of the year goes on sale in the UK in January. The 3.5m-long 500 is a faithful interpretation of the car that motorised post-WW2 Italy, even down to its exterior and interior styling.

Of course, all the technology and safety equipment are bang-up-to-date and the engine is in the front, compared with the rear-mounted unit of the original 500.

Like its main rival, the Mini, it is also much larger than the original car. It sits on a slightly reworked Fiat Panda platform and high-strength steel inserts have been used in the body panels.

Conceived as a four-seater, it's surprisingly spacious in the back, but headroom is tight and the boot is a modest 185 litres.

Two petrols - a 68bhp 1.2 and a 90bhp 1.4 - and a 74bhp 1.3 Multijet diesel will be available. Prices kick off at just under £8000 for the entry-level 1.2 Pop, rising to £10,400 for the range-topping 1.4 Lounge.

Also like the Mini, customers have the opportunity to choose from a seemingly endless number of options. The idea is to make your 500 an extension of your personality.

The range of colours and trim is huge, as is the number of coloured plastic trim inserts. The official tally is over 500,000 colour and trim combinations.

All this makes it very post-modern and touchy-feely, but Fiat will also be launching a fire-breathing Abarth version to appease the more hairy-chested customers.

Whatever your thoughts on city cars, this one's going to be a style icon. The fashionistas will love it, and to be fair, so will most people who are less worried about such things.


Daihatsu Charade
PriceFrom £7000
On sale Late 2008
What's new? Stop/start could be in the offing

Daihatsu is still mulling over whether to bring the new Charade to the UK, the decision stalled by a wrangle over prices. High engineering costs to convert the Charade to the UK market are being blamed for the stalemate.

With such high costs, it looks as if the Charade will end up being more expensive than the bigger Sirion and that would completely scupper its chances of making it here.

It's a bit of a surprise, because the last Charade was one of the best small cars sold in the UK, helped by its keen £7500 price and decent road manners.

The new model was launched at the Geneva motor show in 2007, and it is bigger and roomer than the outgoing model.

Powered by a 56bhp 1.0-litre engine, it promises low running costs and fuel consumption, as well as minimal CO2 emissions.

There are plans to introduce a stop-start version of the Charade, which would make this small car a very attractive proposition for city drivers.

Even without this, CO2 emissions of just 99g/km mean the Charade falls under the crucial 100g/km threshold - cars in the A band currently have a VED charge of zero.


Ford Ka
Price From £7000 (est)
On sale November
What's new? Ford reinvents its baby

Hard to believe, perhaps, but Ford's fresh-faced Ka is 11 years old this year, so a brand-new model is much needed.

It will arrive in November 2008 in the form of a model based on the new Fiat 500 platform, and will be built by Fiat in Poland.

The prototype pictured shows how the new Ka retains the old model's curvy roof line and compact, city-friendly dimensions.

However, it's taller because of the demands of crash tests. Expect a loftier driving position, too, as well as a roomier cabin and larger boot.

Although the Ford uses Fiat chassis technology, the Ka has its own unique body panels, interior and chassis tuning.

Engines will be drawn from the Ford parts bin: a 70bhp 1.3-litre petrol engine will be the mainstay of the range, backed up by 65bhp 1.4-litre turbodiesel.

Expect a Sport Ka warm hatch version to use a 98bhp 1.6-litre unit, which should be launched a year or so after the standard model.

Ford's most affordable model will be exactly that, with a price starting at £7000.


Hyundai i10
PriceFrom £6500
On sale March
What's new? Everything except the platform

Hyundai revealed the new i10 city car at the Bologna motor show in December. A substantially updated version of Kia's value-for-money Picanto, the i10 has its own unique body panels and dashboard. It will go on sale in March.

The spiritual successor to its predecessor, the Atoz, the i10 will have more rounded, European-friendly styling than the overly tall Atoz.

A 65bhp 1.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is also new and will followed later in the year by an 80bhp 1.2 petrol. The 75bhp diesel won't be coming to the UK - it's too expensive to fit in with the i10's pricing strategy, which starts at £6500.

So why buy it? Well, it's going to impressively frugal. Hyundai reckons you can get around 60mpg.

It's pretty green too. The i10 will keep CO2 emissions down to an acceptable 119g/km, which makes it congestion-charge exempt and puts it into the £35 VED rate band.

Not enough to wet your whistle? Like every other Hyundai, the i10 comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage Hyundai warranty.


Kia Picanto
Price £5995-£7995
On sale January
What's new? Face-lift: new front and rear

The Picanto has had a mid-life face-lift: there's a new bonnet and front wings, which now accommodate a Cee'd-style radiator grille and headlights.

New front and rear bumpers, which add another 40mm to the car's length, and the rear light clusters have been restyled.

Inside, the cabin has been freshened up and there's a wider range of exterior colours available.

The range has also been extended from three to six models, giving buyers more choice.

Trim levels have been renamed as Picanto, Picanto 2, Picanto Ice and Picanto 3.


Smart Fortwo mhd
Price £10,000 (est)
On sale October
What's new? Greener powertrain

The smallest city car of them all gets extra green credentials this October when a 'mild-hybrid' version of the Smart Fortwo goes on sale.

Fitted with a combined alternator/starter motor that recharges the battery when the Smart is braking and a stop/start device to shut off the engine at idle, the 71bhp 1.0-litre Smart mhd returns an official 65mpg and puts out 103g/km - 13% better fuel economy and 8% lower C02 emissions than a standard Fortwo.

It could well be worth waiting for.


Suzuki Alto
Price £7000
On sale December
What's new? A greener 1.0-litre engine

An affordable small car has generally been a mainstay of Suzuki's range, but since it dropped the ageing Alto last April, there's been a surprising gap in the range.

We'll have to wait a while longer, too, because the new Alto won't be launched until December next year at the earliest.

It is said to look like a mini-version of the new Splash supermini and will have three- and five-door bodystyles - our picture shows the A-Star concept car version that will be shown at the New Delhi motor show in January.

Power is from a new 1.0-litre engine with 109g/km CO2 emissions.