Posted on 07/05/2006 7:39:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
The tiny car that won over Europeans with its cute looks and very high mileage is finally coming to America, just not in the way you might expect it to.
The 60-mpg, two-seat coupes are made by a European company called smart, but the DaimlerChrysler division is not the one selling them here anytime soon. True, they will be sold in Canada starting in September, but not so in the United States.
Instead, smart USA is betting Americans won't want the small smarts, at least not yet, and has taken a different strategy: a smart SUV, available here in 2006. The first press release touts not the mileage but that it's "loaded with adrenaline both off road as well as on."
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I saw one of these on I-295 here in DC on Monday, the guy who was driving it was angry and more than likely a liberal seeking to make a point, but the only point I saw was the one from people pointing and laugh at this clown car. I am sure that gas could go up to $7 a gallon, people would complain, but I doubt that it would be much demand for this thing.
Who wants "shredded" organs?.......
How old is this story? There are Smart "PlusTwo" cars all over the place up here (around Toronto) and have been for a year or two. Have they not been available in the US? Still wouldn't want one myself, but I can see where they might fit the bill for some people. Personally if I wanted a small, cheap car with good mileage I'd get something like a Toyota Yaris 3-door hatch and still have a real car rather than a motorized grocery cart, but they can't match the Smart for mileage.
Just watch: the number of people dying "in" SUV "related" accidents is about to skyrocket.
Those aren't cars. They are pocketwatches.
No kidding? I was just waiting to see one of these gold carts in the DC area.
Clown Car! LOL!........I knew I had seen this thing somewhere! Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus!.........
Just another "clown car" for clowns that want to be noticed. If they made them look more like Harley's people might be interested.
It's dated 2004, but now they are just getting here........
Ummm, can these things get up to speed for an interstate? Or would they just be unusually large speed bumps?
I was going to say that's a cellphone that you can drive.
LOL
They've had them here in Canada for a couple of years. No room inside and for the price you could buy a real car like a Hyundai Elantra and get four seats and a trunk. Maybe not quite as good gas mileage, but there's more to life than that.
Every time I see one I think "there's another idiot who bought a Smart."
Cheers
Jim
Coming soon to a landfill near you.
More choices in the market are always a good thing. This car will be just the thing for some folks.
Frankly, if I were in the market for a station car, I would get one of these things, if they were priced right. They take up less room in the garage and driveway, which is a good thing.
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.