The Smart Car - Seen this weekend at the mall...

[Yollam]

This weekend we went to the mall in the 'burbs of Fukuoka (they have a Costco there, and we just got our membership), and spotted one of these in the parking lot.



(It didn't say "Zap!" on it)


Now, small cars are pretty commonplace in Japan, but this one stands out, even here. We peered in the windows and wondered what it was, and figured out that it was the Smart, made by Daimler Chrysler. A very appealing little number (though not really practical for a family with kids like us)

But any of you folks without kids might want to check it out - it's just starting to make inroads into the US. (But it ain't cheap.)


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/19/SMARTCAR.TMP

Carolyne Zinko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, June 19, 2006

At the 2003 Academy Awards, Cameron Diaz and Tim Robbins made an unlikely fashion statement: They each arrived at the Kodak Theatre in a chauffeur-driven Toyota Prius.

Since then, celebrities and wannabe celebrities have been getting behind the wheels of eco-friendly cars, to show that they're committed to alternative energy -- and that it's easy to be green. It's working. Toyota has sold 224,975 Priuses since 2003 without paying one penny in direct marketing to promote its hybrid brand.

Now, in the latest Hollywood extravaganza "The Da Vinci Code," Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou can be seen zipping down Parisian sidewalks in the tiny Smart car. Good gas mileage (60 mpg) and easy parking have made the vehicle ubiquitous in Europe.

But will the two-seat micro car, made by DaimlerChrysler and small enough to put on a pool table, come west the way the Japanese-made Prius came east? In other words, on green hipster wings?

[Nomad559]

1. Video: The Carver

I want the Carver.

http://194.79.31.98/badjojomedia/daily-siufhasiudhsadsad/6.06.16/04.wmv

:)

[alittlelark]

2. My 11 year old daughter was sitting here when I clicked that link.

Twats are not cool ads w/o a warning.

[alittlelark]

5. The edit helped..... thanks.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Holy Crap! I want one!!!!

That thing is awesome.

[dysfunctional press]

26. the link doesn't work...

all i'm seeing is lines and lines of gibberish.

[Nomad559]

28. link doesn't work

Use Internet Explorer, or right click the link and save target as.

:)

[Ayesha]

3. They do make a Smart car for four

Seems to be available in the UK.

[Yollam]

4. Yes, they sell it here in Japan, too.

But it costs about three times as much as a "kei" car here, and doesn't get much better mileage. I really like the Smart - I'm just too poor to drive one.

[rooboy]

6. Heaps of them driving around where I live. n/t

[Skittles]

7. I took this picture in England

[Fleshdancer]

8. They're everywhere in Paris

I got a real kick out of seeing them in Paris a few months ago...so many people have them over there. I watched a report (CNN I think) that talked about how safe they are in a collision as well. :thumbsup:

[Yollam]

10. I wouldn't be so worried about being crushed in one...

...as I would worry that upon being hit by a larger vehicle, that it would be flung afar and roll quite a bit. It looks structurally sturdy enough...

[Fleshdancer]

11. Look at what I found! Wheelchair friendly car lets you roll right in:

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C8321/

How cool is this?

[radwriter0555]

18. THAT is the most awesome car I HAVE EVER SEEN. That's what I call

PROGRESS.

I'm so impressed... wow! You just made my day!

[eppur_se_muova]

19. VERY smart. Doing the "V-8 move" now.

(That's butting forehead with heel of hand, for those of you who haven't been saturated with American TV commercials. Used with the phrase "I coulda had a V8!", or more generally, "I shoulda thought of that!")


on edit: from the original link, "Sometimes, an invention makes so much sense that you have to wonder why somebody didn't think of it before now." I say, add some !!!!!!! to that!!!!

[TreasonousBastard]

12. They're talking 25 grand for...

that roller skate. It's neat, but not 25 grand neat.

You can have a lot more fun and buy a lot of gas with the money you save buying a Mini.

Or a Hyundai, for that matter.

[Techno Dog]

15. Where can I get a mini

for 25k with the same options?

[charlie]

16. Mini Cooper

$17500 base.

http://www.carscomplete.com/quote/Mini/Cooper/

[Techno Dog]

17. Yes

but how much for one with the steering wheel and side doors? ;)

[tenshi816]

13. There are loads of those around where I live.

They're so small they can park just about anywhere, and street parking is at a premium in my small town, and for that matter just about anywhere in the UK.

I'd hate to be in an accident in one though.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. Right.

They're everywhere in Cambridge, but I'm astonished to see people driving them on the motorway. Oh, well. Probably no more dangerous than motorcycles.

[tenshi816]

33. They don't look like they'd be able

to get enough speed to drive on the motorway!

I could be tempted to have one to run local errands in as long as I could keep my regular vehicle for longer trips. I've seen Smart cars squeezed into the tiniest places, and that's useful in my town.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

34. I think they max out at around 85MPH.

I seem to recall Clarkson commenting that it had "the same top speed as... Henry VIII"

[eppur_se_muova]

20. Hey, I think I saw one of these in San Antonio a year or two ago ...

or was it the same? I had the impression it was Mexican-made. Maybe it only had Mexican license plates, or Mexican dealer logo.

Reminded me of a double-wide baby carriage in a shell. If you're only driving around the city, though, why not?


edit to remove gratuitous extra letters

[Justitia]

21. Saw these all over Paris! Loved them! My fav model is the "passion"

http://www.smart.com/-snm-0145283564-1148444047-0000018320-0000000005-1150711420-enm-is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/mpc-uk-content-Site/en_UK/-/GBP/SVCPresentationPipeline-Start?Page=issite%3a%2f%2fsmart-Site%2fsmart%2ecom%2fRootFolder%2frest%2fredirect%2epage&ScriptParam=smart/modelle/smartcitycoupe/ausstattung/passion/highlights

[eppur_se_muova]

22. Keep an eye out for the "Clever" ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=51478&mesg_id=51478

[cobalt1999]

23. Also by DaimlerChrysler...

is the GEM car line (Global Electric Motorcar).

www.gemcar.com

Street legal, but not for highways. However, since most trips are less than 6 miles, I'm thinking about getting one. I think the kids would love to get picked up at school in one.

[soothsayer]

24. I'm guessing the Smart car owner wasn't shopping at costco!

They couldn't even fit a set of paper towels in that cute thing, lol!

[JCMach1]

25. Smartcars are common in the UAE... we even see the

convertibles...

[bleedingheart]

27. A price in the mid $20,000 is a bit high for that car..

sorry but I want to buy a hybrid for my next car but some of the prices are just way too high...

[charlie]

29. That's a whole lot of money

for a dinky non-sportser two-seater. My Scion XA is $11,000 cheaper and it has a similar sort of goofy form, for anyone looking for a practical car with comment-provoking novelty styling.

[bleedingheart]

31. I have to agree the Scions are a way better deal

both the XA and the XB....I have kids and I have to haul stuff ...a two seater is a luxury that I can't afford right now...
I bought my corolla for approx $15K...and it gets about 40mpg

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

32. That's about double the price in the UK.

They can be had here for under £7000 new.

[Ganja Ninja]

30. I saw one on the roads in Tampa a few weeks ago.

There is a company in Palm Beach that imports them but expect to pay a premium since they have to deal with a lot of government red tape to get them in.

Here's a link:
http://www.foreignaffairsauto.com/smart.html

[sinkingfeeling]

35. They're all over Europe, Ireland, and the UK.