Smart Car To Finally Hit US

Those quirky, pint-sized, goofy, two-seater cars were supposed to hit the US showrooms in 2005.  Well – they’re finally showing up in dealer show rooms in January.  Don’t rush out to pick one up, though – the pre-orders are already soldout.  You can get on the list, though.

The company itself is an odd pairing – Daimler (who owns Mercedes-Benz) and Swatch – yes – that Swatch – the plastic watch company from the ’80′s.  That would explain the odd, yet cool design.  Apparently, the panels can be removed to change the color of the car, as well.  I’m not exactly sure how that works.  I’m sure its not as easy as it was with those old Nokia cell phones.

The Mercedes Car Group says that the US will be the 37th country that the Smart cars will be sold in.  They’re mostly in Europe now, but I did see them in Canada close two years ago.  They’re catching on in urban areas where you don’t need the speed.  The 0-60 time is about 12 seconds – which is slow by most standards.  The company’s response to that is practical.  These cars are predominantly city cars.  They have a quick 0-30 speed.  That’s more important – stressing that in a city, you don’t need speed – you need to find a parking spot.  Bumper-to-bumper, you can fit two of these cars in one standard spot. 

I know what you all want to know – what is the sticker price and what is the gas mileage?  Three models will be sold in the US ranging from $12k to $17k – the “pricey” model is the convertible.  The gas mileage is estimated to be around 40mpg – but they are still doing testing in the States.

Source: Smart Car USA, USA Today

P.S. If you’re a tall person, this might just be the car for you – no really…