The GEO Metro, Suzuki Swift and Pontiac Firefly, built under the same roof in an Ontario plant owned jointly by General Motors and Suzuki, began 1995 in a new guise. Redesigned and with a slight mechanical revision, they maintained their pocket size and mini price. The three-cylinder base versions also continued to be the uncontested fuel economy champions, with a spectacular 49 mpg. Even the Suzuki Swift, which had first dibs on the Metro’s optional four-cylinder engine, used only a fraction more fuel on the highway. So these minis obviously complied with the primary requirement of their target customer group, composed mainly of younger consumers and single people, 60% of whom were women and all of whom had a limited budget or their first car. Aesthetically the three-door hatchbacks were quite cute, even if too-small wheels and tires made them look as if they were perched on stilts.
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