Posted on 02/18/2005 7:45:39 AM PST by add925
IT'S Smart but it's certainly not clever, and it has cost Daimler-Chrysler more than e2bn (£1.4bn) since its launch. Now the question is: how much longer will the carmaker continue to underwrite the underperforming Smart car?
Heralded as the future of urban personal transport when it was launched in 1998, the car was environmentally friendly, ergonomically appealing and space efficient.
But DaimlerChrysler's unique minicar has been revealed in the German media as a costly failure with 2004 losses of about e600m, making the overall dent in its creator's pocket up to e2bn.
(Excerpt) Read more at thisislondon.co.uk ...
And there's the disconnect. It looks small and cute and cheap ... but some serious effort goes into making a car that small that can haul 4 people safely and with the flow of traffic on the Autobahn.
I long wondered what the point of such cars as BMWs and Mercedes were; sure they're "good", but at what point does the extra effort and cost provide a vanishingly small payoff? Then I drove on the Autobahn - and understood. Not sure how to describe it, but cars need to be well-engineered when normal driving speeds exceed 100 MPH. Thus the seemingly high cost of a Smart car: they may look cheezy, but they're really well built (and need to be).
I've had two of these. They're pretty good little cars and handle well in the city and on the highway, although they run out of steam around 80mph. You have a good amount of hauling room if you put the back seats down, as the whole rear end is the hatch in the back.
It was also created for a market where gas costs more than twice as much as here. I had a long commute in Germany and a car that got 29mpg (actual recorded, not sticker). I calculated that in using a smart for the commute, the savings at the pump would more than make the smart's payments.
I have a big family, so a large four-door sedan is totally useless to me, too. Every car for its purpose. It's great if you don't have kids or just want it for a commuter car.
I also noticed in Germany that a lot of courier services and food delivery places use them.
They're pretty roomy and quite comfortable, and would work great as long as you're not taking much with you. You want a chiropractor appointment? Make the trip in a Lotus Elise.
Mrs. jimfree and I saw these things all over Madrid on a 25th anniversary trip. I can see them in a controlled environment like a golf course. And they seem great to park - they fit in the tiniest spaces. But for driving on the open road or in heavy traffic? I don't see it.
BTTT
The roadster, if it sold for about 15.000 would dominate the sports car market. They could probably sell as many as they wanted. At 34,000, it won't sell to tother than yuppies with a lot of time and money on their hands, which is probably the plan.
Man, I wish someone would come up with a samll cheap sports car, like the Austin-Healy Bugeye.
When I was much younger, I wanted a Lotus Europa (John Player Special - black & gold).
One day, I had the opportunity to sit in one.
I tried and tried, but I just couldn't fit in the damned thing. Those cars are built for dwarfs.
The Elise is good enough to about 6'2" comfortably, as long as you're not too fat and limber enough to contort yourself into the car with the roof on. Hint: it's easy if you remember that it's more of a controlled fall than climbing into the car. Getting out, now that takes a bit more practice to learn.
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