June 28, 2006
Will D.C. Get a Smart Car?
If there is one thing that the U.S. can learn from Europe, it's how to best balance urban living, transportation needs, and environmental consciousness. If there is one car that can best make that point, it's the Smart Car.
Smaller even than the popular Mini Cooper, the Smart Car has become all the rage in many European cities where parking is scarce and gasoline expensive, and according to the New York Times, the Smart Car may soon be found on U.S. city streets. Reads the article:
DaimlerChrysler, which shelved an earlier plan to bring its Smart mini-car brand to the United States, plans to announce on Wednesday that it will introduce the tiny, two-seat vehicle to the American market early in 2008, according to several executives at the company.Given that the District can be notoriously difficult on parkers and tends to see higher gas prices than many other metropolitan areas, we would love to see the Smart Car become an option for local buyers. Of course, it would take nothing short of a change in culture or a number of economic incentives to make the tiny car successful.The German-American carmaker is calculating that with stubbornly high gasoline prices, mounting concerns about global warming, and waning interest in sport-utility vehicles, consumers in the United States will welcome a car that is no larger than a good-sized riding mower.
Urban dwellers are prone to going smaller and more fuel efficient in their car of choice, but that may stop at the Smart Car. Given its size next to even a small American sedan, we could see many buyers feeling nervous about taking one of these out on area roadways, especially some of the region's notoriously congested interstate highways. If enough reasons and incentives were given to residents to purchase them, they might become popular over time, allowing the District to easily tackle its shortage of on-street parking. But that's a big if. And given their price tag -- $12,000, according to the article -- the cars would likely remain a novelty item for the city's more affluent residents.
We'll probably see Smart Cars in the District sometime in the future. But we have to be realistic about their prospects -- it could take a long time for them to catch on. But just imagine how much easier it would be to park in Adams Morgan on a Saturday night with those puppies.
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If DC law allows parking perpendicular to the curb for smart cars you could fit two of them in one spot, not a bad idea for Flexcar or Zipcars huh?
These might be a great zipcar investment.
Would these vehicles work in the suburbs where most residents must take the car for quick errands? Who know's maybe a useful vehicle for even suburbanites who won't bother walking or biking even to a friend or any place nearby like 7-11 for bread, milk, ice cream or a pak or carton. But then i wonder, will a suburbanite fit in one of these?
Aside from erahk0's unclever cheap shot, the real problem for suburbanites would probably be safety. And that would probably be a problem for urban-dwellers as well. The only times I need a car are when I'm going to the 'burbs, so if I were going to get a car, I sure as hell wouldn't buy one that would be horrifying to drive on the beltway.
I don't think they would take off as zipcars either. If other zipcar users are like me, they use zipcar mostly for trips outside the city and when they need to haul large-ish items, and in neither of those cases would I use one of these go-carts.
The "safety concern" is a hangover from SUV advertising. People ride bicycles in DC, people ride mopeds and scooters in DC, people walk blithely into the street in DC, but no one's going to drive a small car? Right. I saw one of those things a week and a half ago parked near D St. SW near the Energy and Transportation Depts, of all places. It was parked between two parking spaces, neatly wedged in there.
20008? what's the freaking hold up?
I don't think my comment was very clear. I think people would feel safe driving them in the city. I know I would. But getting around the city is a need that can be met w/o buying a car for the most part. With transit and Zipcar meeting most of those needs, I think most city residents who buy a car will want something they can comfortably take outside the city as well as in urban neighborhoods - not to mention something they can haul small furniture and stuff in - and Smart Cars ain't it.
I wouldn't say they're "all the rage" in European cities exactly. They're quite expensive for what you get, and the transmission is funky. They've been in production for nearly a decade, and the have yet to turn a profit.
I think they have their place, and some will definately sell in urban areas. My preference is for the new crop of small 4-seater hatchbacks such as the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, and others. (Disclosure: I've always liked and driven small hatchbacks for their utility, even if they were very uncool)
There are plenty of other European (and other nationality) small cars that are more suitable to American driving conditions. Personally, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Renault Twingo, the Citroen C1, C2, C3, and the small Peugeots.
I think Smart will be a boutique car, not a mass-market car. Most people will balk at the price relative to a more substantial 4-seat offering that still offers decent economy.
Um, those things are lame. Sorry to have to say it, but who the hell would be caught dead in one of those? Prius? Cool. Vespa? Fine. But that thing is the vehicular equivalent of a pocket protector. Chrysler is welcome to offer an engine upgrade to change my mind, but as it stands I'm not paying 12k to drive that. No one will buy them, except perhaps municipalities.
I've seen a Smart car in Alexandria a few times. Someone that works in a building near mine drives one. Its interesting to watch people smoking on the street corner and laugh as she drives by in it. Cause saving energy and the environment is funny...
I've seen a Smart car in Alexandria a few times. Someone that works in a building near mine drives one. Its interesting to watch people smoking on the street corner and laugh as she drives by in it. Cause saving energy and the environment is funny...
I've seen a Smart car in Alexandria a few times. Someone that works in a building near mine drives one. Its interesting to watch people smoking on the street corner and laugh as she drives by in it. Cause saving energy and the environment is funny...
IIRC the Smart Car doesn't meet US standards. That is probably the reason for the 2008 release. There is a company that currently imports and modifies them to meet US standards.
i feel like i would need a chain lock for that damn car. you know kids would be stealing that shit the first chance they get.
Why are they so expensive?
I do think they're cool, stylish and practical in the city. For those with safety concerns, think of the Smart car not as a small, less-safe automobile, but as a much-safer, weather-proof motorcycle. It's all a matter of perspective.
I can't think of any compelling reason to have one of these... As others have said- I don't generally drive my car around the city. I drive my car when, like this weekend, I'm going camping out in Shenandoah. And there's no way in hell I'm driving a Smart out there and back (not that it'd fit me, my friends, and my supplies anyway). But that's something that my Mazda Protege will do quite comfortably, at 30 mpg and completely paid for.
As long as I have to own a car capable of going to the burbs (and further) anyway, this would just be a second car. And that doesn't seem very conservation-like, now does it?
Yes! The Twingo! I fell in love with that car on a family trip to Rome ten years ago. Our hotel was down the road from a dealer. Twingo! Ah, memories...
Well, I live in Germany, and SMART cars are everywhere. It is past novelty stage here! And these little buggers can fit in the smallest of spaces. Actually, it is cool to have a SMART car here in Germany. They have some pretty interesting designs other than the one posted for this thread!
But why is it the same price as an Elantra? You can actually fit your dog and more than one friend in an Elantra.
I never take the promise of easier parking that seriously. Parking spaces are more or less a standard size (except compact spaces which are already handled by existing autos), so the only time you'll be able to take advantage of a space that a regular car can't is when some idiot parallel parks in the center of two adjacent parallel spaces. And in normal cases, people in huge SUVs are gonna get real pissed that their spot is taken by that tiny POS. Admit it.. you're always pissed when you see what you think is an open space only to be occupied by a motorcycle. But is it really worth the size downgrade (and still relatively high price) to make parallel parking a little easier?
Another thing--
"DaimlerChrysler plans to market the Smart to drivers in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and other congested cities."
Most people don't realize it, but this car is a diesel. Smart is going to have to do some tweaking in order for this car to meet new emissions standards, which are very strict. California and the NE states have stricter standards, not sure about PNW states.
The availability of reformulated low-sulfur diesel fuel in the US (which I think is being phased in now??) will make it easier to meet the requirements, but I'm guess that the delay in availability until 2008 has to do with the time to meet emissions and safety standards.
(Oops, I just checked the UK website, and they are "petrol", but in other countries they are diesel or gas. Canadian is diesel) Dunno which one the US is getting.
Which leads me to the next point....
This NYT quote deserves further scrutiny:
"On its Web site in Britain, a Smart coupe is listed as getting 46 miles to the gallon in the city and 69 miles to the gallon on the highway."
I think that's definately Imperial Gallons, not US. Converting to US gallons yields 38 city 57 highway. Still good, but not really that "efficient" compared to my 1983 Honda Civic which got on average about 37 city and 54 highway, and could carry two more people and more stuff. Not sure what Prius/Civic Hybrid numbers are, but I'm guessing that the city #'s are about the same, and again, you get a lot more room for people and stuff.
I'm not knocking the Smart. Some people will buy it for size and looks alone, but I think gas would have to get a lot more expensive before a lot of Americans would seriously consider buying a car like this. I like the fourfour model better than the fourtwo, but I'd prefer a monochromatic paint job personally.
The safety arguement is a straw man. The Smart car is basically a racecar rollcage with a little engine in it. And the center of gravity is lower than a Jeep or a Suburban.
I'm sure there's a market for it in DC, but I'd rather have the gocart-esque VW GX3
http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8e1da
Quick thoughts.
* The US version won't be diesel.
* You're right that they have to upgrade it to meet US emissions and safety stds., and that's the problem.
* The actual FourTwo that they've been making has been profitable for a long time; it's DCX's bonehaded attempts to make a mini-SUV and gutless roadster of similar toy size that have failed.
* Making it around the city on a series of 40 minute Metro or Metro to Bus to walking trips and making it around on a 6 minute trip with something that can then also carry whatever you pick up are different. I'm getting sick of the people who get all self-righteous whenever someone proposes that maybe they'll only walk or take transit 85% of the time.
* You're unlikely to get hit hard enough in the city to make this thing's mass a problem; it's essentially the same safety cage as in a normal small car, just there's nothing else. Also you'll bring less energy into the crash from your end, and it would be comapratively quick and easy to cut you out of this thing if need be. I wouldn't put it on 95, but I'd drive it anywhere in DC.
* The arguments for this thing vs. a similarly priced, similar mileage, Versa or Fit or Yaris or '08 model Civic hatch (have you seen that thing? It's out in the UK. Very hot.) are a lot harder to make.
* Especially once Chryslercedes inevitably screws it up by trying to make it a $15,000 car.
This city is rife with Scion xA's & Mini Coopers already. This thing will sell like hotcakes - unless:
1. Toyota blows them out of the water by making an even better little car than the xA and brings it out around the same time for less money. Oh wait, the Yaris is already here.
2. Honda blows them out of the water by releasing a smaller car than the Fit for less money. And the list goes on. It's a mistake to announce "early 2008" when consumers are already importing your cars from Canada to get their hands on them. Did the CEO finally come out of his isolation chamber and read a newspaper? Gasoline got expensive last summer.
Regarding the safety argument:
I'd be worried that a big SUV would run me over b/c they couldn't see such a small car. I drive a Civic now and feel like the smallest thing on the road.
Since I've been buying, I'm a truck guy. I live in burb VA, but am moving closer if not into the city soon. I would definitely consider this or some other type of tiny vehicle for getting around town. You can zip in and out of trafic and when it gets dinged or dented in a garage, I won't really care. I would like to see a tag of $8k though & have it run on cooking oil
These little cars will probably sell relatively well in D.C., where you already see many more Mini Coopers, VW Golfs, and Scions than anywhere else in the area. The ability to park perpendicular to other cars in parallel spots should make it incredibly easy to find parking in this city.
The Smart is long overdue in the U.S. - bring it on!
Frankly, they're not terrible on highways, though they look a bit weird with all of the gargantumobiles that waste space and energy on the interstates these days. But they're safe, they're reliable, and they are much mor fuel efficient for highway driving than hybrids.
If you want space, I can vouch for the Nissan Versa, which is sold as the Almera in the UK and EU. It's a peppy car with great handling and great mileage. It's about time that Nissan brought it to the States.
And Ford should get with the program and bring the Ka to this side of the Pond. It's a perfect urban vehicle.
And why doesn't VW bring the Polo over here? It would sell well, I'm sure.
Quite likely. The US would surely be meeting more and more Smart cars soon.
The Smart Cars are already available in the US from ZAP www.zapworld.com ZP (NYSE). A California based company who is also planning on brining a Brazilian made car to the US, the Obvio! 828, that is a hybrid that can run on any combination of ethanol and gas. Zap is also the only car company who is selling a Chinese manufactured car in the US the 100% electric Xebra city car.
The Smart Cars are already available in the US from ZAP www.zapworld.com ZP (NYSE). A California based company who is also planning on brining a Brazilian made car to the US, the Obvio! 828, that is a hybrid that can run on any combination of ethanol and gas. Zap is also the only car company who is selling a Chinese manufactured car in the US the 100% electric Xebra city car.