A new car that costs under $20,000, once an unofficial threshold of affordability, is all but history in the United States.
Blame it on automakers abandoning the low-profit small-car business as American consumers increasingly gravitate toward pricier SUVs and trucks.
The compact Mitsubishi Mirage has become the last new vehicle with an average selling price under $20,000.
And even the Mirage appears on the way out. The trade publication Automotive News has reported that Mitsubishi will stop selling the Mirage by the middle of this decade. (Though there are other new cars with sticker prices under $20,000, Cox Automotive says those vehicles exceed that price threshold once shipping and options are figured in.)
Here are the five new vehicles with the lowest average selling prices in the United States, according to Cox.
- Mitsubishi Mirage, $19,205
- Kia Rio, $20,157
- Nissan Versa, $20,763
- Hyundai Venue, $23,971
- Nissan Sentra, $23,994