People don’t want small cars, period.
My Fiesta hatch 1 liter is 2600 lbs, a Mazda 2 is 2400. It’s as close to an old Mk2 GTI as you can get from a chassis dynamics perspective.
I love the hell out of the Fiesta, but people always ask “ You make good money, why do you drive such a small car?” They don’t get it.