What if small car buzz fizzles?

America's next best seller?

This year's LA Auto Show featured several small cars that US automakers hope will drive big buzz - and sales - as automakers move towards new CAFE rules.

But what happens if they don't sell?

According to research from AutoPacific, these new small cars are facing an uphill battle. “People want technology to solve the problem of fuel economy," notes one AutoPacific analyst. They don't, however, want to be forced to downsize.

That means lighter materials, clean diesel, and hybrid technology. Yet, so far US automakers haven't been able to use these technologies to match the efficiency of the competition. Consequently, the average fleet fuel economy of each of the Big 3 isn't just far behind their Asian competitors, but even BMW has better fleet fuel economy than the any of the Big 3.

Can the Big 3 truly compete if fuel economy becomes the key driver of the US auto industry?