Skip to comments.
U.S.-legal Smart car up for auction (66mpg)
Automotive News ^
| 12/03/04
| Dale Jewitt
Posted on 12/03/2004 2:32:25 PM PST by BurbankKarl
The California company that has cleared legal hurdles to sell two-seat Smart cars in the United States has put its first saleable unit on eBay.
On Friday afternoon the top bid for the car, a red Smart fortwo with 586 miles on the odometer, stood at $12,300. The auction is set to end on Dec. 12 at 9:44 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Zap, of Santa Rosa, Calif., wants to sell 15,000 of the two-seat cars a year in the United States. It hopes to sign 150 dealerships by summer.
Zap doesn't get the Smarts directly from parent company DaimlerChrysler AG. It works with partner Smart-Auto LLC, which buys the cars from dealerships in Europe, then imports and modifies them to meet U.S. standards.
DaimlerChrysler AG, the parent company of Smart GmbH, will start importing the four-seat Smart formore from Brazil to the United States in 2006. The formore will be shown at the Detroit auto show in January.
Ebay Ling
TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: autoshop; environment; smartcar
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-74 next last
Daimler is a mad about these guys, since they aren't introducing the 2for model when they roll them out in 2006. ZAP Motors is using a clause in NAFTA that allows any car approved for Canadian sale to be allowed into the United States.
To: BurbankKarl
....Liberal guy and a liberal gal.....buy a Yugo.....
2
posted on
12/03/2004 2:35:10 PM PST
by
MisterRepublican
("I must go. I must be elusive.")
To: BurbankKarl
You guys haven't goy Smart cars yet?
They are the most bizzare little things, yet I gather terribly practical in urban situations.
3
posted on
12/03/2004 2:35:28 PM PST
by
tjwmason
("For he himself has said it, And it's greatly to his credit, That he is an Englishman!")
To: BurbankKarl
Ugly little thing isn't it.
4
posted on
12/03/2004 2:39:01 PM PST
by
Conspiracy Guy
(This space is available to advertise your service or product.)
To: Conspiracy Guy
Don't know... haven't seen a picture.
5
posted on
12/03/2004 2:40:22 PM PST
by
irishtenor
(If stupidity were painful, the Democrats would NEED paid health care...)
To: BurbankKarl
I have nothing against the car, but having dealt with ZAP in the past, and having described my experience on Slashdot, I won't be doing business with them again.
6
posted on
12/03/2004 2:40:56 PM PST
by
steve86
To: BurbankKarl
How many can you get stuck in the wheel well of an SUV before you have to stop and clear them out?
7
posted on
12/03/2004 2:41:03 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(In a just world, Arafat would have died at the end of a rope.)
To: BurbankKarl
So, lets get this straight, I can buy a 2 seater that gets 60 MPG... and I won't be able to easily get parts for for 2 or 3 years... or I can go buy a standard car that gets about 40-50 MPG from volkswagen..... Let me think about this for a minute....
NOT!
8
posted on
12/03/2004 2:41:55 PM PST
by
HamiltonJay
("You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.")
To: tjwmason
Nah...and DaimlerChrysler didn't want them introduced here either...they are starting with the FourFor in 2006.
To: irishtenor
10
posted on
12/03/2004 2:43:44 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(In a just world, Arafat would have died at the end of a rope.)
To: BurbankKarl
11
posted on
12/03/2004 2:44:36 PM PST
by
HuntsvilleTxVeteran
(Dan Rather called Saddam "Mister President and President Bush "bush")
To: BurbankKarl
3 cylinders. Count 'em. Three. Itty bitty car. No doubt underpowered. As if I'd want to drive that little sardine can on the freeways around here. No thanks. I'd probably get run over by a Prius.
12
posted on
12/03/2004 2:45:11 PM PST
by
.38sw
To: BurbankKarl
To: BurbankKarl
"Daimler is a mad about these guys..."
Daimler might be mad; but Isetta is really p*ssed...
14
posted on
12/03/2004 2:46:11 PM PST
by
hoot2
To: irishtenor
15
posted on
12/03/2004 2:46:19 PM PST
by
Conspiracy Guy
(This space is available to advertise your service or product.)
To: irishtenor
BTW. I'm an Irish Baritone
16
posted on
12/03/2004 2:46:59 PM PST
by
Conspiracy Guy
(This space is available to advertise your service or product.)
To: HamiltonJay
You don't understand liberals very much. You see, they don't think like that. They look at that car and think "Gee..that could save the environment if everybody was forced to drive one."
That car will be non-existent in 2 years, MAX.
17
posted on
12/03/2004 2:47:15 PM PST
by
unixfox
(Close the borders, problems solved!)
To: BurbankKarl
To: KarlInOhio
How many can you get stuck in the wheel well of an SUV before you have to stop and clear them out?I'd drive one, except for what you said.
19
posted on
12/03/2004 2:48:49 PM PST
by
Doe Eyes
To: KarlInOhio
Aside from the obvious...YUCK. How are you supposed to get a bag of groceries in the microcar?
20
posted on
12/03/2004 2:48:56 PM PST
by
CougarGA7
(Reporting from the Third World State of New Mexico.)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-74 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
