Mike Sussman is one of the buyers helping General Motors come back in the smallcar business. The 45-year-old systems analyst just traded in a Toyota Prius for a Chevrolet Cruze, seeking both better mileage and more pep.

“I was very, very leery about buying U.S., to be honest,” said Sussman, who lives in Greensboro, N.C. “They got me with the mileage. It actually drives like a regular car. With a Prius, you always feel like you’re driving a science experiment. It just doesn’t have a lot of guts.”

The Cruze was the bestselling U.S. compact in July, at 24,648 cars – beating the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus – and it outsold cars of any size in June. GM has found the sweet spot in the market, pricing the Cruze at as little as US$16,525, between the Corolla and the Prius, and delivering mileage of 30 miles per U.S. gallon or more. (That’s 7.841 litres per 100/km.)

The Cruze helped make GM the world’s top seller of vehicles in the first half, a ranking it lost on an annual basis in 2008, the year before the company’s government-backed bailout. The company’s rise in the small-car market, where GM has traditionally been a laggard, is emblematic of a turnaround for the automaker.

While GM’s small-car revival has followed the March 11 natural disasters that delayed production at Toyota and Honda, the spurt may not be an anomaly. GM is benefiting from improved cars and new advertising plus missteps by the Japanese rivals, analysts and executives said.

“We’re competitive for the first time ever,” said Joel Ewanick, GM’s chief marketing officer. “The buyers are completely different than we’ve seen before.”

The March earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a shortage of parts and finished vehicles. “If the vehicle you want isn’t on the showroom floor, who knows if you’re going to be waiting for the deliveries to come in when there’s something equivalent in terms of performance capabilities and fuel-efficiency?” said Chris Hopson, analyst with IHS Automotive.

Both GM and Ford Motor Co. have marketed their compact cars with high-tech features and made them more attractive than previous low-priced economy car models, Hopson said. Ford has advertised the Sync voice-activated entertainment and phone system in the Focus since its 2007 introduction and in the subcompact Fiesta since the car debuted in the U.S. in 2010.

GM’s television ads also plug high-tech features in the Cruze. One ad shows how consumers can unlock their car remotely using an OnStar connection through a smart phone. In another commercial, a motorist gets Facebook updates while driving.

The automaker also took a page from Toyota’s 1989 introduction of its Lexus

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High School seniors across the country have long since moved their graduation tassels from right to left. And before they start buying mini-fridges and extra-long bedsheets for their dorm rooms, prospective undergraduates need an affordable, safe and mpg-friendly ride that will leave Mom and Dad stress-free during trips to and from school.

AutoWeek editors pick their list of top cars in which to send a kid off to college. The list includes:

• 2009 Hyundai Elantra Sedan
• 2009 Honda Civic
• 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
• 2009 Ford Escape
• 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
• 2010 Kia Soul
• 2009 Dodge Caliber SE
• 2009 Ford Focus
• 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt Sedan
• Used cars will do the trick

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