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Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Show has little cars with lots of luxury
Some models come with Internet access and satellite navigation
By David McHugh
Associated Press

   FRANKFURT, Germany - Luxury cars usually draw the biggest oohs and aahs at auto shows. But at this week's Frankfurt International Auto Show, it's the small cars that will be getting much of the attention - and people may find they are looking more and more like bigger cars on the inside.
   The reason: ferocious competition that has made manufacturers lavish luxury-car features on vehicles that fall more into the category of basic transportation. Mass-market players such as Volkswagen, Fiat, and Ford have sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into revamped small cars they hope will get them through a Europe-wide auto slump.
   Consumers will see Fiat's new Stilo, the successor to its Brava and Bravo models. The small hatchback offers a voice-controlled satellite navigation system and Internet access on a seven-inch screen, and standard anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. Not too long ago, buyers had to get a luxury car such as a Mercedes to get that level of equipment.
   Small cars are getting more like big cars in another way: They're getting bigger. The new Volkswagen Polo, last redone in 1994, reappears as a slightly larger car, in order to clearly set it apart from VW's smaller Lupo model, analysts say.
   Ford, not to be outdone, is revamping its Fiesta, a longtime mass-appeal winner and a chief competitor for the Polo.
   The three cars aren't being sold in the United States.

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