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Sorry Google, but SMART already has a shoe with wheels.

I thought you were wrong, but apparently the price ahs dropped a lot in the last decade or so. They were close to 40K.

I bet they are still horrible to drive.

Interesting, there website say 12,400 fro an electric, but when you actually find a price, it's 25G

http://www.smartusa.com/models...
http://en.ta64.smart.com/is-bi...

So the Swatch/Mecedes ART piece is still way over priced for what you get.

Here is your car: http://www.smartusa.com/models/pure-coupe/overview.aspx Although the black is glossy. I'm not sure why you would want to buy it, but you can.

http://www.smartusa.com/ starts for a bit more than 10k.

Related question: Why do all small and compact electronics have to have the word "smart" in it? Are they trying to associate it with smart?

Buzzword or not, it's still annoying.

Screw flying, I want a briefcase car.

Well, they are getting closer . I mean, these cars are even smaller than the comically tiny car in the movie Brazil.

The car is about the size of a Smart Fortwo. Why are you so sure it won't pass crash tests?

Dump the "slushbox" (the conventional automatic transmission with torque converter). There are so many ways to get the efficiency of the manual with the convenience of the automatic that it's criminal that we aren't doing it. Next, manufacturers choose gear ratios that are good for jack rabbit starts and passing while going uphill and using the air conditioning, but which are terrible for fuel economy. High gear isn't nearly high enough.

You mean like the automated 5 speed manual transmission in the Smart Car or the 6-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission in the VW Jetta? Both of which do away with the wasteful torque convertor and gain about 10-15% efficiency over your typical "slush box" auto tranny.

Another big one is weight reduction. We use steel because it's cheap, not because it's all that great. We can replace many steel parts with lighter ones that are just as strong or stronger. We could also revamp the safety regulations to keep things just as safe without having to weigh down the car with super strong B pillars and such. Why is it we can ride motorcycles, which are far more dangerous, but we can't bring a car from Mexico to the US because it isn't "safe" enough? We dumped the 5 mph bumper of the 1970s. We need to trim the regulations again.

Take a look at this crash test of the new Chinese Brilliance Sedan done over in Europe, and then ask yourself if you want cars made in China and Mexico on our roads. Every year, there are more and more safety regulations, thus causing vehicles to become heavier and heavier. The only car I can think of that is actually light and safe is the Smart Car.

Let's see

Slick looking 3 wheel Diesel / electric modular plug-in hybrid that get's between 125 and 230 MPG

vs

Cutesy looking 4 wheel gas boxster that gets 33/41 MPG

Considering you can start by just getting the diesel engine kit for ~$10K and add the electric motor later I'd still opt for the XR3.

One could buy a new one of these for half of $25,000 for an even more smug satisfaction.

Or, one could buy 10 or more easy-to-DIY-fix old VW beetles with enough spare parts and earth-frendliness to last a lifetime.

SC: I get 33 miles to the gallon in the city. (it's true!)
SUV: You are the size of a shoebox, I'm 17x larger and still get half of that. What went wrong?
SC: Like you, we're counting on our consumers being dumb.

One of the larger issues is that we all use one or max two cars to fulfill our various transport needs. In essence we buy the largest car we need/can afford.

I think Switzerland has an interesting model. They tax and insure cars through the license plate to operate it. That way you can own that SUV for the trips to your back country house, but drive in a slick SMART to work in the city and save gasoline, road space and parking space.

I wouldn't mind driving one of those for my daily commute.

• "But it can't go very fast. Or very far. And if you drive it, people will think you're gay."

Personally, I admire the blue smart car that's often parked on a street I jog on. The litter bugger just looks solid and well-built (a member of the Mercedes-Benz Cars). I don't give a frick if morons will think I'm gay.

I've owned two Metros and loved them both into the ground.

Umm you must not have checked the smart official website for mileage figures then. From http://www.smartusa.com/smart-car-faq.aspx

The vehicle is designed to achieve 40 city/45 highway mpg according to 2007 EPA standards and 33 city/41 highway mpg according to 2008 EPA standards.

The "smart" (it's lower case, apparently) car hasn't actually been officially launched in the US yet, the cars sold today are gray-imports. Official marketing of a US version will start this year, with apparently a $12,000 asking price for the base model.

So don't get too pessimistic, they haven't started yet.

This thingie is already a common "car" in major european cities.

And it's coming here next year: Smart USA

Compensating for small endowments (See... Mercedes)

Unless, of course, you are a proud owner of the Mercedes smart fortwo (note: not for sale in the US).

Ah, now I see some more info. One of these cars would be fine for me, commuting 30 miles in Houston (TX). One problem with an all-electric car here is using the battery to cool the cabin air in summer. The winters aren't THAT cold, so I could probably do without cabin heating.

Of course, I still can't forget when that car (NOT an SUV) rear-ended the car BEHIND me on the highway, my 4-door sedan was nearly totalled, and my passenger and I walked away without a scratch. Personally, I'd like something like the Smart ForFour (discontinued).

I have a car for the family already. Why does nobody make an inexpensive, two-seater, two-door commuter car that a normal sized person would be comfortable driving?
 
When the smart fortwo arrives in the U.S.A. you should take a test drive.

I haven't been in the new model yet but I have been in several of the current fortwos and recently test drove one myself out of curiosity. They have much more interior space than people seem to think and are quite fun to drive. The downside is that they really are only intended for the daily commute and poking about town but if you already have a family car that shouldn't matter. Just don't think of it as being something it's not; it's a small car and will only ever be a small car.

People trash talk the smart quite a bit but if you've actually been for a few trips in one you'll know that it comes mostly from ignorance.