Yes, every vehicle got bigger. Two main reasons for that - crash ratings (smaller the car, harder it is to make crumple zones work) and emission standards (due to how regulation was written, larger the car less efficient it can be).

With that said, compared to other cars on the road today, Corolla is still a small car.

Yes, tarrifs are a tax on consumers but they are not unique to Trump. Did you know that Biden kept all the tariffs imposed under Trump's first term?

I thought it was obvious - Corolla is a small car that sells well. More so, if you add up all Compact SUVs (a lifted small car, such as Toyota Corolla Cross), you will not have such drastic difference. Thing is, CAFE currently penalizes selling small cars, so manufacturers would do it only when they have enough offsets to make a case. Otherwise they have to pay other manufacturers, like Tesla, for offset credits making small cars too expensive.

That is, the issue is the price not the size. Small car elsewhere in the world can be purchased for 10K USD, in US small cars start at 20K.

Then pull them over and write a big ticket. You are not allowed to take a scooter on the highway either, yet you can still buy one.

You can't ban out of consumer preferences. If you ban SUVs people will drive converted full sized vans and large cab pickup trucks.

Toyota sold 232,908 Corollas in 2024, while Ford sold 716,801 F-150 in 2024. Obviously, Corollas are not as popular, but saying there is stigma around buying small cars is just not supported by the data.

Inflation rate by president. While you can try arguing that at some point in the near future it will get worse, as it stands today inflation under Trump #1 was significantly less than inflation under Biden.

These small cars still have to meet tons of regulations that make them not so cheap. I think people are not buying them because value is just not there. I'd love Honda S660 for $15K but instead only Mazda MX-5 Miata starting at $30K is what is available.

Yes, I know, right? It simply cannot be good if Trump is for it.

I am fairly certain the dea^h^h^h affordability crisis was in the closed of the White House when he moved in.

Yes it is shrinkflation. Still, driving one is better than being forced to take public transit.

I drove one someone brought to a car meet. Acceleration only an issue if you try to get up to highway speeds, they are more than capable keeping up with the city traffic because they are also very light. I imagine EV versions would be even fine up to highway speeds.

Also, there are many cars that are road legal, like Ford Fiesta or Mitsubishi Mirage, that are not going to do well in a collision with F-250. Neither would your regular car do well in a collision with a semi as there is no way around F=ma.

If you live in a rage city and don't need to get to highway speeds, then such car would make a lot of sense, especially as an EV. Where I live there are already some people that drive uninsured and unlicensed EVs, I think they get them as electric wheelchairs, but they are essentially cars with a roof, doors, 4 wheels, and a steering wheel.