My God do we ever have the same problem up here. I live in Alberta, Canada, and I swear to god everybody drives either a giant pickup truck, or a land barge that gets passed off as an SUV.
I think that if people would stop thinking about how a change in transportation will be so god damn inconvenient and instead, tried to think of how they could change/alter a few points of thier life, then they would find that this isn't such a bad idea.
I have to drive to school, work, and anywhere else I want to go because I live in the county, no mass transpo here, and this car would be most excellent.
Now, I didn't RTFA but I do not believe this vehicle will be very expensive, over a 20 year lease we'll say, and you have a cheap little car to get you to work and back, while your stupid wife drives a beached whale, talks on her cellphone, and hopefully doesn't kill anybody bringing Timmy to soccer, or going out with her equally stupid friends who form a fucking convoy through the town.
As for the trucks, yes I know they are needed for oilfield work and a crapton of other duties, but why do I see enormous lifted f-350 diesels in the parking lot of Toys R Us with one person in it? Oh yeah because you cannot find a dirt cheap tiny car that's worth a shit in the woods.
Lets hope this little thing changes that at least.