Smart Cars Coming to Canada and U.S.

AgniTheSane writes "Most importantly the Smart Car looks cool. It also gets 60 mpg, is four feet smaller than a Mini Cooper (you can park two in a standard parking spot), the plastic panels are easily swappable and one color all the way through (so you can't scratch the paint), the steel frame makes it safe in an accident, and you can get it with in-dash Bluetooth (and in Europe can read and write email via the car speakers and a microphone). The Smart car is coming to the US soon, and will cost as little as $12,000. You can read about it in Wired or on MSNBC, or you can go straight to ZAP who will be selling them in the US soon, or the smart car website in the UK. "

Comments

Re:Heh

[Anonymous Coward]

Big European familes seem to be able to cope with http://vauxhall.co.uk/showroom/search/brand.jhtml? brand=Zafira&vehicleType=Carsub compact people carriers like these which can seat 7. Is the averge american family that large or is it more to do with status really?

Re:Looks cool??

[BenjyD]

The American 'aesthetic' sense rears its ugly head again.

Re:Style issues

[CreationLtd]

Here in Madrid, Spain there are masses of Smart Cars. It is definitely a success here especially due to the appalling parking problem. There is so much double parking that the sound of someone honking their horn trying to get their car free is a hourly occurrence.

Smart Cars are so short they can park nose in parking spaces that aren't wide enough for a Hummer to park laterally.

As for style, my wife squeaked in delight for months on seeing them and often wanted no more than to "hug" them. They've even turned into small art and advertising billboards in the case of rental and corporate vehicles.

They're definitely a cool car by most Spaniards' measurements.