Vauxhall to Make Splash in Geneva

Smart opens shop in U.S.

 
4 574 views January 14, 2008

Smart opens shop in U.S.

Smart opens shop in U.S.

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American highways will soon see the tiny Smart ForTwo minicars following the announcement today the Smart brand will be opening 68 sales outlets in the U.S. across 31 states this month. The brand’s official distributor in the U.S., Penske Automotive Group, declined to comment on the number of sales it expects this year but according to the CEO of Smart’s parent company, Dieter Zetsche, more than 30,000 people have already signed up for one.

California has the most Smart franchises with ten stores all up, followed by Florida with eight, New York with six and Texas with five outlets. Penske also plans to open up an additional six stores as the year progresses, reports Automotive News.

The cars will be offered with three different trim options with the base model starting as low as $12,235 and the range topping coming in at $17,595. For this money, customers get an ultra-efficient two-seater that’s perfect for driving around town, however, highway stretches could be a little unnerving up next to full size SUVs and semis.



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Comments (4)

  1. By chris Posted: 1/14/2008 1:04pm PST

    although i havent been in one, i've seen more than a dozen of them zipping around town (canada's had them for a couple years now). they are relatively tall cars, so i dont know if looking at an SUV will be that daunting. I think my focus rides lower than that car. however, driving it in high winds would be a concern of mine, because of that ride height and relatively short wheel base.

    I think this is one of those cars that if people got into them for a test drive, they would be pleasently surprised. and dont think theyre slow and boring.. they can definitely out accelerate the average traffic. think of it as a cross between a hatch back and a go kart.
     
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  2. By Hugo Posted: 1/14/2008 5:06pm PST

    I test drove this car in Orlando only a few months ago. Power is anemic, shifting is long and clunky. Hard seats. Little storage for anything. For this money I can buy a superbike. Save some extra money and get a Prius. If you can wait, we'll proably see at least a half dozen better options in the market by 2010.
     
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  3. By Gus Posted: 1/14/2008 5:29pm PST

    Physics 101:
    An object of double the mass will decelerate and then accelerate in it's direction of travel any object it collides with.

    Vehicles with this low of a mass will kill it's occupants in collisions with cars wieghing significantly more than they do, not by crushing (as I'm sure the structure is very strong) but by g-forces on the internal organs and brain.

    Don't be fooled by the crash videos. When you impact a wall or barrier, you are only crashing that vehicle against itself. Even the tests against a normal (3500 pound) car do not show the forces on the dummies. Just because the passenger compartment remains whole does not indicate that the brain stem does...

    I've read that 20/20 or some other news magazine is planning to prove exactly this point by buying a couple of these cars and impacting them into normal cars.
     
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  4. By chris Posted: 1/15/2008 11:12am PST

    yes, absolutely gus. but how many times will you collide head on with an escallade at 70mph (which, as you've pointed out, is like crashing into a brick wall at more than 140 mph)? this car is sold as a city car, and thats why it is only going to be sold in states with large cities. expect to see a lot of them in NYC, and the cities in cali.

    Hugo; anemic compared to what? I'd assume that this thing can accelerate comparable to a yaris or aveo, and those cars are much larger and not in the "city car" class. for people living in new york, i can see how something like this makes a lot of sense.

    Like i said, i live in windsor, ontario. population of 200,000. car capital of canada. we've got everything here, cept a veyron. ive been seeing these things on a weekly basis. you dont have to live in a metropolis; you will be seeing these cars.
     
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