Several jurisdictions are looking into adapting the Smart Car for urban police work...
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 ...
Several jurisdictions are looking into adapting the Smart Car for urban police work...
These things were everywhere when I was in Italy two yrs. ago.
Wouldn't you be afraid of somebody walking off with it? Good thing they don't have handles on them, or they'd be getting stolen left and right.
I was looking for the curb weight but couldn't find it. Your right, at 1700 lbs 80 bhp is fine.
I still think they have something with the roadster. It has modular body panels to configure the car several ways, both internal and external.
I saw lots of them in Munich, Germany. Mind-blowing when you first actually see one: so freaking small, wierd shape, and frequently odd-colored (often advertisements painted on the side). Mind-blowing again when you get passed by more than one while you're cruising at 100MPH on the Autobahn.
Thing is, they're vital to car ownership in Munich. Roads are quite narrow, there are FAR more cars in the city than Munich can comfortably hold, and parking is darn near impossible to find. Being able to perpendicular-park on a curb (often literally straddling the curb) is very handy when that is often the only parking space you'll find for miles.
FWIW: the Smart car was created by a joint venture between Mercedes and Swatch. Gotta admit it is a tour-de-force of style and engineering ... with admittedly odd results.
After driving all over Northern Germany with a local citizen we went to his house for dinner. He apologized for not having much beer because his wife could only carry a limited amount in her bicycle basket. I guess this "car" could be considered an improvement if what you say is true.
I liked that car better when it was called the Trabant.
I think I'll add it to my Matchbox collection.
Brabus did the roadster one with a 1.4l twin-turbo V6, giving this 1,700 pound car 170 horsepower.
I once was in an windscreen repair shop and they just had one of those cars brought in. It seems that it had been driving along, and some kids standing on a bridge above the road dropped a brick on it.
The Smart's "roof" is made of glass - ergo, the car was a mess of glass shards. It was remarkable the driver escaped serious injury.
Regards, Ivan
Looks flimsy and dangerous - why hasn't Ralph Nader weighed in on it?
It's really really high, the mileage, and really good. I just can't tell you what it is...
Ugly as sin, and too dangerous to ride in if involved in a serious accident. It's a paper bag on wheels. Deathtrap.
Best flowerboxes in Germany!
German joke: "Why is a rear window defogger standard equipment on a Trabbi?"
Answer: "In winter, it keeps the owner's hands warm while they push it."
They are kinda' neat - at least for a second commuting car. My dogs would fit in one too (mini pins).
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