It doesn't sat anything about them. What it says is that the interior design, quality, fit-n-finish of the new 3 is well beyond what is normally associated with an economy class car. Also keep in mind I'm in Canada so a $40k car here might not be what your thinking of. When I look at the pics of this interior I think Acura TL which is a $45k car here.
You also have to take into account who that 40k car is targeted at... if its a younger adult the car is going to look more sporty/cheap but if it's the higher aged adults it will have the wood accents and all that Jazz... It's not that the car is below it's mark thats what some people want...I agree with your assesment that the 3 surpasses what is normally considered standard in its class. That's why I bought one! (2thumbs) My point was that you don't get what you should out of a car at $40K... in the US or CA. Period.
I see your point about that - that's one thing that bugs me about the yaris:Mazda messed up on the hood. I don't like how the hood line does not draw down to the grill. There should be no bumper between the grill and hood like on the new 3. Reminds of a wuss azz VW Bettle.