Autos: For Mini-Warfare, A Bigger Beetle

In the annual battle of the automakers, this year's big weapon is the small car. Largely to combat the inroads made by the imports, which have lately captured more than 15% of the nation's auto market, American Motors has brought out the Gremlin, General Motors has introduced the Vega, and Ford the Pinto. In anxious counterattack, Germany's Volkswagen and Japan's Toyota are mounting an assault with new models at prices that remain equal to or lower than those of competitive U.S. cars.

Up with Power. In September, Toyota, the fastest-rising foreign automaker...

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