I know this question has been posed thousands of times, but are micro machines the next big thing?  With gas prices higher than Cheech and Chong in their hey-day and our atmosphere hazier than their hot-boxed van, I should be asking: are sub-compacts the next BEST thing?

The main issue here isn't whether or not this B segment will become popular since that topic has been beaten to death like the "clubbing a baby seal" metaphor, (pun intended) but rather what's going to happen when we no longer enjoy the luxuries of having all the natural resources we want?  Will the American market accept these economy micro machines like the rest of the world, or will we fight to the death to uphold our right to use every last drop of gasoline on the planet, bringing the environment down with us in a blaze or glory?  If the immediate future has cars like this in store (minus the decals), I have no problem squeezing into one, especially if it means saving a fortune on gas, oh yeah, and the planet too I guess.

What do you guys think?  What's going to happen to the tuning industry when the automotive world is dominated by hybrids, micro compacts, and alternate fuels, with no more oil left for us to squander?  

My take - cars like this seem to be the future, (although Japan has had cars like this for quite some time) but things stateside would need to be turned upside down if these things are to be accepted by gas guzzling, SUV owning Americans.