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A cute new electric hatchback from Volkswagen, out next year, will cost 25,000, or around $27,000. Another tiny VW model coming in 2027, with Rivian software inside, will start at only 20,000. But neither will be available in the U.S. The number of small cars on the American market shrank significantly over the past several yearsand thats one reason that cars are also more expensive, with the average price jumping to nearly $50,000 last month. In 2019, there were 45 models on the U.S. market that cost less than $25,000. By 2024, there were only 11. Trumps new tariffs could add another $12,000 to new car prices. ID Every1 [Image: Volkswagen] Size is especially relevant to the cost of EVs, since the battery is the most expensive part of the vehicle, and smaller cars can use smaller batteries. If more options existed for cheap EVs, making them accessible to more people, the drivers who bought them would get another financial benefit: EVs are also cheaper to operate, both because its cheaper to charge with electricity than fuel with gas and because EVs have fewer parts, so they need less maintenance. The ID EVERY1, VWs new 20,000 car, was designed to cost as little as possible to make. The car is super minimalisticwe have no decoration, says Lorenzo Oujeili, a designer at Volkswagen who worked on the concept for the new model. The car has been [envisioned] since day one to be a car for everyone, and really cheap to build. ID Every1 [Image: Volkswagen] For Volkswagen, its a return to the companys roots of making simple, affordable cars like the Beetle. And part of achieving affordability meant making cars tinier. In Europe, theres still clear demand for small cars. One obvious reason is the infrastructure: Tiny roads in centuries-old cities arent designed for massive SUVs and trucks. European consumers also appreciate the practicality of smaller cars. The ID 2all, VW’s hatchback that will come out in 2026, is meant as a commuter car. Its optimized in size and usability, says designer Stefan Wallberg. You have a lot of space inside. When you go to work, you dont need more than this for daily use. The cost also matters to consumers. We want to give the maximum that they can get for their money, he says. (The low cost doesnt mean that designers didnt carefully consider what drivers really want, including a return to physical knobs instead of touchscreens.) ID 2all [Image: Volkswagen] Automakers say American consumers dont want small carsand its true that the new VW models would probably be a harder sell to people who are used to much larger SUVs or trucks. (The battery range of the new ID Every1 is also small, at only around 155 milesagain, more than enough for a daily commute, but a challenge to sell to Americans.) Still, sales of smaller vehicles started to grow in the U.S. last year, as car buyers aimed for smaller monthly payments. By the end of the year, compact car sales had jumped up 16%. If tariffs push car prices higher and possibly trigger a recession, its likely that demand for smaller cars could grow more. ID 2all [Image: Volkswagen] Car companies have focused on large cars in the U.S. for decades. It’s been very difficult for automakers because the argument to make vehicles smaller, which typically is less profitable to some degree, has never been really incentivized unless there’s some type of economic downturn, says Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst at Edmunds. That’s really the only time that we see people say, ‘Oh, OK, well, I’m going to compromise,’ and really get down to downsizing. ID 2all [Image: Volkswagen] On the other hand, if automakers had put effort into designing and marketing desirable small cars for the American market, there might have been more demand. Its like chicken and egg: If we build it, will they come? Or, if we give a half-hearted attempt, as weve seen in some instances in the past, I guess theyre never going to come, will they? says Drury. GM, which sells small EVs in Chinalike the adorable $4,000 Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, through its joint venture SGMWsays it approaches global markets differently. “Europe and South America, for example, have a history of embracing more space-efficient vehicles while China has a younger average new car buyer that places high importance in second row roominess,” says Sigal Cordeiro, VP, Global Planning & Customer Research at GM. “U.S. customers seek flexibility, including space for people and things, as well as longer range and safety and convenience features. GM is focused on meeting customer needs globally, while making EVs more affordable.” (The brand offers the Chevrolet Equinox EV at $30,000, but ended production of the smaller and cheaper Bolt EV in 2023; a new version of the Bolt is coming back this year because there was demand for it.) Beyond cost, there are other advantages to small cars. They’re safer for pedestrians. They take up less room in cities. The environmental impact of manufacturing them is smaller. Because they weigh less, they create less tire pollution when they drive. But federal and state incentives for EVs haven’t given any priority to smaller sizes. For automakers, small cars are actually harder to design than larger ones. All of the engineering design is really tricky to condense everything you need into something compact, says Oujeili. That’s true both aestheticallyhow to handle the proportions, for exampleand in terms of function, including how to squeeze the maximum amount of storage space into a tiny footprint. Even after companies invest in a new car design for one market, like Europe or China, it’s not simple to bring the same car to the U.S., says Drury. Setting up everything elsefrom marketing and training dealers to making sure that repair people have the right toolsis another major expense. Tariffsboth those that existed before Trump’s current term, and those that are being added noware another factor (and why Americans can’t buy $10,000 electric cars from China). In some cases, cars designed for another market might also need to make changes to meet American safety regulations. All of this means that automakers aren’t likely to bring their small EVs to the American market unless they’re certain that they’ll sell welland if you want to drive one of the new VW cars, you’ll have to move to Europe.
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E-Commerce
France just unveiled its charming new TGV Inoui trains, and theyre a jealousy-inducing reminder that Americas rail travel renaissance cant come fast enough. The TGV Inoui is a high-speed rail system, running at around 200 miles per hour, that connects Frances major cities as well as providing connections into Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. This Tuesday, the manufacturing company Alstom and the TGVs operator, SNCF Voyageurs, revealed the brand-new fifth generation TGV Inoui interior design at Pariss Gare de Lyon. [Photo: Alstom] The new train, which is slated to hit the rails in 2026, includes a delightfully colorful aesthetic, an ultra-sleek bar car, and expanded accommodations for wheelchair usersand its further proof that, for now, Americas rail system might as well be in the dark ages. [Photo: Alstom] An interior fit for a ’70s space age mood board According to Alstom, a team of more than 2,000 designers started entirely from scratch to create the new TGV Inoui cars, which are constructed in a modular format that allows them to be reconfigured in less than a day to suit the particular needs of each trip. The trains are made from 97% recyclable materials, have a 20% higher seating capacity than previous iterations (up to 740 passengers), and are 20% more energy-efficient than the fourth generation trains. [Photo: Alstom] While most trains tend to incorporate a monochromatic palette of gray or blue, the TGV Inoui cars are a fun experiment in color and shape. Designed by the French agency AREP and Japanese design firm Nendo, the cars feature a soft palette of primary red, blue, and yellow hues accented by rounded shapes. The combination of these comforting colors with the trains sleek metallic fixtures lends the whole interior a kind of 70s space-age aesthetic. According to a press release, the designers used the concept of flow as a guiding principle, looking to water currents in nature to inform the placement of furniture and colors. [Photo: Alstom] [The train] makes its way through the landscape, rather like the flow of a river, the release reads. The designers played with the idea of depth inside, with a strong horizon line running through all the elements and giving the impression of the surface of water. The flow is inspired by the soft shapes of pebbles and objects polished by water, which can be seen in the details of the seats and the lamp, as well as the use of darker materials in the lower section and lighter ones above. [Photo: Alstom] One of those polished detailsthe table lamphas been a constant fixture in all past TGV train designs, but AREP and Nendo have taken it up a notch. In the new cars, the lamps are the brightest element of the whole interior, rendered in a crisp canary yellow thats meant to serve as a touch of humor in every room. [Photo: Alstom] The bathrooms have been enlarged and touched up with a frosted window that lets in natural light. Shockingly large stairwells allow passengers to pass easily from the first to second floor. The bar car has been expanded to take up two stories, with a self-service grocery section (including full-size drink coolers) on the bottom floor, and an upstairs bistro space with booth-like seats for passengers to enjoy their meals. [Photo: Alstom] And, for the first time ever, the train now incorporates a boarding platform that allows wheelchair users to enter the space autonomously, as well as adding more accessible seating options and signage. It’s a design approach that goes beyond maximizing square footage to consider the travel experience of all riders. [Photo: Alstom] Why can’t we have this in the U.S.? While French citizens are enjoying the new TGV designs, American Twitter is busy lamenting the lack of similar transit options in the U.S. Under a tweet showcasing the new train cars, one user wrote, Trains would be the elite form of public transit in the US if they were fast, to which the original poster responded, sad state of things for the country that was literally built by railroad. [Photo: Alstom] As France moves on to its fifth generation of high-speed trains and, Japan has also added yet another innovative bullet train to its already advanced arsenal. The U.S. has yet to truly embark on building high-speed rail infrastructure. The closest weve come is Amtraks Acela route in the Northeast, which still travels at only 160 miles per hour. Most other Amtrak trains dont move much faster than the average car. To be fair, we are getting a bit closer to embracing passenger rail travel. Amtrak had a record-breaking year in 2024, moving an all-time high of 32.8 million riders between October 2023 and September 2024. The company is aiming to double its ridership to 66 million by 2024 through building new routes, updating some of its fleet with faster trains, and modernizing its amenities. Meanwhile, the private rail service Brightline has gained popularity in Florida and is currently constructing a line between Las Vegas and L.A., which is slated to become the country’s first truly high speed railway. Even with these advances, the U.S. is still light-years behind countries like France, Japan, Switzerland, and China. For now, well have to content ourselves with gazing longingly at the TGV Inoui and dreaming of a cross-country train trip that doesnt take 96 hours.
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E-Commerce
Getting invited to a first-round interview is exciting. Its a chance to highlight your interpersonal skills, tell your story, and share how you would be an asset to their team. The first interview is your chance to make a great first impressionbut more importantly, its where you can build a genuine connection, says Niki Jorgensen, general manager of client implementation at Insperity. To make the most of your first interview, experts recommend researching the company, practicing common interview questions so that you allow your personality to shine through, and create a connection with your interviewer. But here are some other ways to give yourself an extra edgeand make it to the next round: 1. Find your magic hour Before scheduling an interview with a recruiter or hiring manager, consider when you naturally perform at your best, Jorgensen recommends. Are you most energized and clear-headed in the morning, or does your creativity peak in the afternoon? Once you identify your magic hour, she suggests working to secure that time slot for a more effective conversation. Aligning with your natural rhythm ensures youre poised to perform at your best, says Jorgensen. 2. Create your logistics plan in advance We all know that GPS directions arent foolproof and that offices can be difficult to find, so if you have an in-person interview, make sure you know how to get to the interview location in advance, says April Brasher, HR knowledge adviser with the Society for Human Resource Management. Its helpful to do a test-drive beforehand to estimate travel time, then add an additional 30 minutes on the day of the interview to account for traffic, accidents, or parking, she explains. Planning exercises like this are indeed part of interview prep. Arriving early gives you extra time to prepare, she also notes. However, dont arrive to the interview more than 1520 minutes before the scheduled time to avoid making the interviewer feel rushed, Brasher cautions. 3. Tailor your attire with a subtle message Try and incorporate a hint of the brand or company youre interviewing with through a well-chosen accessory or a color that aligns with its brand identity, says Jorgensen with Insperity. This gesture subtly shows enthusiasm. Its less about wearing head-to-toe branded gear, but more about signaling subtly that you understand and appreciate the company ethos, she says. Plus, as an added benefit, it can also serve as an icebreaker. For example, if you were interviewing for a job at Wilson Sporting Goods, you may throw on your branded Wilson pullover, while still looking professionally put together, says Jorgensen. 4. Articulate how you can improve a company on day one Employers arent just looking for skills on a résumé; theyre seeking problem-solvers, good communicators, and individuals who can help drive the business forward, says Joe Galvin, chief research officer with Vistage. The best candidates walk into an interview already proving their valuenot just talking about itand they rise to the top by successfully connecting the dots between their experience and the companys challenges, Galvin says. These candidates research the company, understand its competitive landscape, and are ready to discuss how they can contribute from day one, he says. 5. Lean into AI Touting your AI skills in a job interview is necessary these days, says Galvin. AI proficiency is a competitive advantage today, but will be a must-have requirement tomorrow, he says. In your interview prep, weave in your AI expertise to show you are at the forefront of technology and innovation. 6. Practice and dig deeper Job seekers should role-play and practice interview exchanges to hone their craft and boost communication skills. Candidates should find a mentor, friend, or even use AI to rehearse their answers until theyre fully polished, says Galvin. Plus, be ready to respond to out-of-the box questions and be well-versed to answer queries about the company, its services, and mission. The job market is competitive. However, the candidates who do their research, communicate with impact, and demonstrate real business value will stand ahead of the pack, says Galvin. 7. Prepare your interview exit strategy As you research both the company culture and the person who is interviewing you, a vital component of interview prep is to plan how youre going to leave your interviewer with a strong closing impression. Prepare thoughtful questions for the end of the interview that show genuine interest in the company culture, the responsibilities of the role, the future trajectory of the position, and any other topics not yet addressed, says Brasher. In a pool of competitive candidates, experts say such preparation can distinguish you and leave a positive final impression with your interviewer.
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E-Commerce
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