Sep

25

smart Cars Invade Kansas

September 25, 2007 | 5 Comments

smart USA, the makers of the itty-bitty smart car (itty-bitty when compared to typical US cars), will offer test-drives of their smart fortwo on October 7th (Sunday) and 8th (Monday). Ironically, the test drives will be offered in SUV-land, between Nordstrom and Macy’s at Oak Park Mall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

smart fortwosmart is owned by Daimler AG (the Mercedes-Benz guys) and will let the little cars out of their container ships in 2008. Besides being able to easily find a parking spot when driving them (not usually a big deal here in sprawlsville), they’re easier on the gas budget, getting over 40 mpg.

Categories: Transportation


Comments

5 Comments so far

  1. Car News » smart Cars Invade Kansas on September 26, 2007 1:32 pm

    [...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptsmart USA, the makers of the itty-bitty smart car (itty-bitty when compared to typical US cars), will offer test-drives of their smart fortwo on October 7th (Sunday) and 8th (Monday). Ironically, the test drives will be offered in … [...]

  2. Ron Gaus on September 27, 2007 4:36 am

    Though most folks in the US have no clue what these little guys are like, they’ve been in Europe and around the world since 1998. Over 780,000 sold. Designed by Swatch and engineered by Mercedes, it was an unlikely marriage of modern style and proud history of auto manufacturing. Though these new smart cars will be sold in America in mass in 2008, their older brother has been with us about 16 months. In 2003, an auto converter became frustrated by Mercedes’ refusal to bring the smart car to the US since 1998. He went to the Dept of Transportation and EPA and asked for permission to change the European models to meet US safety and emissions standards. After three years of work, he was granted that approval and began selling the Euro Design smart cars in April, 2006. Just two months later, Mercedes announced that they had changed their minds and would introduce an Americanized smart car in 2008. They will be distributed through Penske Automotive Group, not Mercedes. Though the 1000 converted models are now almost all on the streets across the country, their selling prices are significantly higher than the 2008 models. Though the entry level smarts will be offered in 2008 at $12,000 according to their press releases, the currently available higher end converted smarts are at $26,900. The high cost of conversion, as well as the shipping and import costs from Europe forced this higher price. Still, the owners of these cars have all shared their common feedback… there is no car, at any price, that will attract the positive attention from passers-by, than the smart car. It is not the miles/gallon. It is certainly not the price. It is the unique style and design, so different from any car on the road, that makes this car magical. As magical as the only prior car in history to bring these smiles to this country… the fifties Beetle. The new ones in 2008 will share this attraction with their older, but littler brother. Converted smarts are 8′-3″. The new ones are 7″ longer. Current ones have Mercedes engines. New ones have Mitsubishi’s and are more powerful. The looks, however, will cause the same smiles. Get ready for this phenomenon, folks. When you see one in person, you’ll understand. There is no way to understand it until then. Smart cars will change America, one smile at at time.

  3. Tim on September 27, 2007 10:52 pm

    Oak Park Mall is a stupid/ridiculous place to unveil the SmartCar…do it somewhere where there are younger couples with no kids (Brookside or Plaza would be great) since this is a two-seater. That’s not gonna have much impact in the kid-ridden burbs…

  4. Dave on September 28, 2007 11:58 am

    I concur with Tim — why not bring the ’smart car’ somewhere smart or cool? Plaza, downtown, city market (there was a car show there last weekend, afterall), waldo — heck why not show one of at the very posh Aristocrat motors if the desire is to be on the kansas side?

  5. ben on October 6, 2007 5:57 pm

    they were at Aristocrat oct 06. It took 2 hours to get through the line.

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