GM confirms next Corsa will be built in the U.S.

Due to rising demand for fuel efficient cars in the U.S., carmakers are keen to increase their respective small car lineups in the world’s biggest market. Few are as desperate for the tiny runabouts as the Detroit 3 but things are starting to change. GM is leading the charge with plans to bring the European Corsa to North America for its Saturn range but the strong euro means the car could become too expensive to import.

One solution is for GM to start building the car in the U.S. and latest reports claim that’s exactly what it will do for the next-generation Corsa. "We want the car as a Saturn in the U.S. and we certainly don’t want to import it from Europe," GM product czar Bob Lutz told Automotive News Europe. Unfortunately, Americans will have to wait a number of years for the car because the current model isn’t due for replacement until 2012.

Ford is also bringing one its successful European model to the States. The Blue Oval plans to sell an Americanized version of the Fiesta, which it previewed at the recent Detroit Auto Show in the form of the Verve3 Concept.