I wonder if they will be lease-only, like GM did to help liability with the EV1?

hyrbrid smart? i think it might actually get 100mpg haha

I wonder if the batteries will take up the passenger seat space? Heck where is the motor in that thing?

It’s Vespa with a wide-body kit.

A two-tone self-powered porta-potty with reconfigured holes. At least it has good ventilation.

What do you do when you get ina crash? tossed around like a soccer ball is not fun.

They actually had a video where it hit straight into a S series BEnz. The benz got completely destroyed but the smart just flipped over and spun around. there were barely any dents and the dummies barely got scratched or mved around. the s500 dummies on the other hand….

I cant wait to laugh at everyone driving in these things.

Well I can’t wait to drive one of these things and laugh at anybody who’s not.

I saw the video of the crash test with the S-class and the Smart and noticed that there wasn’t much in the way of “crumple zones” on the Fortwo as on the S-class (and virtually every other car on the road today).

With little or no “crumple zone” on the Fortwo- I’m starting to wonder what would happen if two Fortwos ran into each other. Would it be like marbles colliding?

If you don’t mind driving quirky looking cars this one’s a nice enough car to drive in the city.

[...] Full Story Here Smart [...]

[...] [Source: Left Lane News] [...]

“I cant wait to laugh at everyone driving in these things.” Comment by mystikranger

For the amount the driver would save by driving this thing, i bet the driver can’t wait to laugh back at you.

I hope Smart brings over the entire line. The Roadster Coupe, and the ForFour seem like better canidates to sell over here because most people need a four seater and if one would buy a two seater, it would be a fun, cheap, convertible rather than an egg that appeals to a very small market.

stuart:
“For the amount the driver would save by driving this thing, i bet the driver can’t wait to laugh back at you.”

$20,000.00/3(dollars per gallon)=6,666.6 galons of gas.

for the cost of purchasing this vehicle, a regular vehicle could travel:
SUV @ 15mpg = 100,000 miles.
midsize sedan @ 25mpg = 166,665 miles.
Econo ****box @ 35mpg = 233,331 miles.
Diesel econo @ 45mpg = 299,997 miles.

who is laughing at who?

Nice lie PJ
the S Class was not ‘destroyed’ and the smart bounced around like a golf ball hitting concrete. Secondary impacts would certainly be very harmful to the occupants and as already pointed out, the origional impact with no energy absorbing crumple zones would also be quite harmful.
This thing just looks ridiculous.

Mike:
Those numbers only work out if you already have one of those vehicles already paid off. If you are going to assume that then assume that the smart is paid off as well. If not lets do the math for buying new and see how much you will spend in 5 years not taking into account depreciation or maintaince.

Smart:
$20,000
100 mpg
12,000 miles per year
Gas at $4.00
12,000/100 = 120 * $4.00 = $480.00 a year.
Over five years $20,000 +(480 * 5 = 2,400) = $22,400

Prius (Which I own)
$27,000
60 mpg
12,000 miles per year
Gas at $4.00
12,000/60 = 200 * $4.00 = $800.00 a year.
Over five years $27,000 + (800 * 5 = 4000) = $31,000.00

SUV
$35,000
15 mpg
12,000 miles per year
Gas at $4.00
12,000/15 = 800 * $4.00 = $3,200 a year.
Over five years $35,000 + (3,200 * 5 = 16,000) = $51,000.00

Who’s laughing now.

Good job chiprius. And Mike thought that he had just prooved that it’s cheaper to own a SUV than a Smart. LOL

no, that is not at all what I proclaimed.

In every other thread, this is what has been proclaimed:

“this car is never going to be bought as a long distance highway car, but to pop down to the market instead of taking the Suburban” Thai Ladyboy

“This car is a second not a first. A town runround not a lond distance cruiser. If you drive a gas guzzler then this would be the perfect car to save you money around town” Mr B Lutz & Mr R Wagoner

etc…

so, my numbers were on the assumption that this is an additional vehicle for a family to use, not in place of…

One of the problems we as Americans have is that we think that these small economical vehicles need to be our secondary vehicles. On a daily basis there is really nothing a prius or a civic hybrid or a diesel or a small to midsize car can’t due that a midsize to large suv can. Why don’t we start looking at these large vehicles as our second vehicles. Or better yet when we take our vacation once a year where we need everything from our house with us or the few times a season where we need to take our boat out why don’t you just rent one instead of buying it.

Things and vehicles don’t define you.
How you live and what you can contribute does.

chiprius:

That was the most elequint(sp) hug the earth statement I have seen, and I do commend you for being able to phase your comments in a manner far better than others who share your point of view.

While agreed that on a day-to-day basis, vehicles like the prius, civic hybrid, or other perform the same or better than truck/suv counterparts, there are a number of things wrong with that mentality.

1) not everybody can afford a new vehicle. Common practice now is buying 10-30k mile used on a 1 to 3 year old vehicle for 1/2 or more off MSRP.
2) Vehicles as described above are not as likely to be sold used, and if they are, it is because they are reaching the end of their useful life-cycle. I would not want to be the second owner of an 80k mile hybrid that had only been offered basic maintenance.
3) Thank the Regs for eliminating good diesel here in the US. Anyone who followes automobiles looks to europe with envy at the diesel offerings. Take the Jeep KJ 2.8 CRD for example. It was a crap engine. DCX sold more than twice their expected target.
3) Technology is advancing faster in the last 15 years than any point in history. New developments and research are pointing the century old internal combustion engine in a new direction. Hybrid technology appears to be a stop gap. It was invented as a booster to increase CAFE numbers. Now, it is almost nothing more than a fashion statement.
4) I have the type of personality that if I have the phisical ability to do something, I better have the resources as well. Should I choose a pickup as a DD because I do not want to pay extra to have a television delivered, lumber delivered to my home, a couch or other furniture, etc, I should not be looked down upon. If I have the ability to fuel the vehicle, who are you to say I should drive something else? If I use more fuel, I pay a higher amount of gasolene taxes than you.

If I pay my fair share, why come after me? Why go after the corporations making the vehicles (go after all of them… even Toyota for their truck line that rivals or is worse than comparaable products from teh villified GM)? You need to point the finger where it belongs. REGULATIONS. I am not talking about CAFE here. I am talking about fuel regulations. I am talking about grants and alternative research. You are the type of person that complains about the tax cuts in place, yet those cuts in the Reagan administration paved the way for the influx of cash that provided the R&D responsible for the technology boom of the 90’s. When people have more $$$ they do one of 2 things. They either spend it on products, providing more $ for future products at that company, or they invest it… also providing $$$ for future products.

What I drive, or what you drive, is not the issue.

I am in no way trying to tell some one what to do. Rather I am mearly sugesting that we all (myself included) need to look at the bigger picture. I happened to be fortunate to be able to drive what I do and not all used vehicles have to be big and ineffecient. Just because we can dosen’t always mean we should.

We don’t have to wait until the gov. or big business makes changes we can adopt changes in our own lifestyle that can have a great overall effect.

I am not trying to preach and each person should make their own choices because that is what makes America great, but what is good for one is rairly good for the community as a whole.

Once again chiprius, I commend you for being able to express your comments in a manner far better than others who share your point of view.

[...] original article . . . Posted in Technology RSS 2.0 *Name [...]

Driving a small car is not just about saving money.  It’s also about using less resources, and doing less harm to the environment that we all live in.  

Berndt…you are not nearly as well-spoken as chiprius.
You go ahead and buy a small car because it uses less resources, the other 99.8 percent of the population will choose a vehicle based on the following mathematical formula:
(WANTS*NEEDS)/personal resources = purchase decision

your formula=
(EARTH RESOURCES*GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS)/(EVIL CORPORATIONS*INDIVIDUAL SUV OWNERS) = your agenda shoved down my throat.

have a nice day!

This car was produced to be a second not first car. If you can afford a SUV then good on you but if you can’t afford to run a 3 dollor gallon car then this is highly recommended

stuart, as a second vehicle, as you say that these were designed to be:

$20,000.00/3(dollars per gallon)=6,666.6 galons of gas.

for the cost of purchasing this vehicle, a regular vehicle could travel:
SUV @ 15mpg = 100,000 miles.
midsize sedan @ 25mpg = 166,665 miles.
Econo ****box @ 35mpg = 233,331 miles.
Diesel econo @ 45mpg = 299,997 miles.

If you already own a chevy tahoe with 35,000 miles, at $3 per gallon, your tahoe would have to travel another 100,000 miles (135k on the odo) just to recoup the cost of the smart… not including the gas and maintenance on the smart…which would up that figure.

please tell me you are not this stupid.

[...] DaimlerChrysler has announced a new version of the Smart car that is 100% electric. You just plug it in to charge it. It’s even quicker than the regular gas version at city speeds. It’s being tested in Europe first, then it may come to the USA.read more | digg story Posted by admin in Uncategorized | [...]

I would never put someone I love in this vehicle under our current road conditions. I saw the video of the Merc hitting this thing or something similar. If the goverment took all the other vehicles off the road and issued everyone one of these or gave it to you when you got your drivers license…..then…maybe. Look at that thing….death expedited. There’s a reason they don’t let you take a moped on the highway.

As others have stated very well above, this thing about buying a secondary car for fuel savings is total crap. If you sleep better at night believing that than I am happy for you.
Add purchase price, or even worse yet if you don’t have the extra $20K in cash the finance price…..registering a new vehicle, state and local taxes, insurance on a new vehicle……do you think you’re saving by taking your little car “down the street”…or “to go buy milk”.

Take your $20K and put it into a solar/ battery / inverter rig for your electricity in your home if you want to make a difference….at least that’s tax deductable under a permanent improvement to your home isn’t it?

[...] Leftlane - “DaimlerChrysler today announced that an all-electric version of the Smart Fortwo will be available in the near future. The automaker will first run a market trial for the car over in Britain. Initially, it will be leased to select corporate customers. If all goes well, we may see the car offered in other markets, including here in North America. The Fortwo EV offers even better in-town performance than its gasoline powered stablemate, with 0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds. The Smart EV also sets a new benchmark in the electric vehicle sector; it has 30kW output and a top speed of 70 mph. Smart will begin selling its cars in the United States in 2008. It’s not known if the ‘EV’ model will be ready for mass sale by that time, though it remains a distinct possibility.” [...]

Hey Mike

“If you already own a chevy tahoe with 35,000 miles, at $3 per gallon, your tahoe would have to travel another 100,000 miles (135k on the odo) just to recoup the cost of the smart… not including the gas and maintenance on the smart…which would up that figure.”

How much did you pay for that Tahoe?
How many people do you drive to work with everyday?
How long do you expect a Chev to last?

Obviosly we are seeing daily that we (U.S.) are shortly going to match the prices being paid in Europe for gas (Paid $4.50 per gallon in Israel three years ago). Kind of funny to read how animated both sides of the coin get about this topic, but let’s all be real………By discussing this like we are in an open forum will only help awareness of what is possible for the future and how we can all eventually get there whether we currently own a gas guzzler SUV or a Prius.

As one who owns a cdi smart, and absolutely LOVE it…
We’ve turn our SUV into the 2nd vehicle. The smart is fully road capable, you only need the bigger vehicle when you need 3 seats or a bunch of luggage room
Right now averaging about 60 mpg (US) and at nearly $5 a US gallon where I live, the $$$ we save each month is nearly covering the payment on the smart.
One other thing, it’s a BLAST to drive, just like a go-cart. Doesn’t hurt that mine has heated leather, heated mirrors, AC, auto/standard tranny, paddle shifters in standard mode, electric sunroof, booster heater for cold days and was a hair under $20K US.

Kudo’s to DC for putting this thing together. I have been looking at ev’s for the last year and was very surprised to see that there really isn’t anything on the market.

Up here in Canada, I think this thing will sell like hot cakes. I can’t wait to drive one!

I agree with the above poster that the second vehicle will be the mini-van (in my case).

You SUV’ers keep buying up the 8-12 mpg vehicles and watch what happens to the price of gas next summer! Five bucks a gallon I bet.

$20K is a lot for this car, I think it should be closer to 15K, I hope the Gov’t steps up and offers discounts like they do for hybrids…

Put my name on the wait list!

[...] Smart car goes electric [...]

I’m not sure why people still believe that their driving chooses don’t affect everyone else. Gas prices are affected by demand. If you drive a gas guzzler you are increasing my gas prices.

the oil companys have goverment in there pocks. they will not alow us to have good gas mileadge till the price of gas is high enulf . we should have had the smart car three years ago.

What a lot of good four months of information do!

TopGear crash tested this thing at 70 mph into a solid concrete wall and the cause of death for the dummy wasn’t any injury sustained from the car’s lack of crumple zones. It was from internal organs hitting the insides of its body. Therefore, you crash just about anything into a brick wall and suffer that kind of deceleration, your organs will get sliced by your ribs like deli meat. In fact, the smart did about as well as the other car they crashed. There was some intrustion, but honestly, the thing was going 70 mph! Pretty dang impressive for how well it survived.

The smart is starting at 11,800 US when it comes here. figure lots of luxury equipment to boost that up to 13,000 bucks.

Use the SUV to tow the boat or haul the lumber 10% of the 13,000 miles you drive a year.
1300miles/15mpg=87 gallons of gas
87 gallons x $3.30 = $287

Drive the rest in a smart car
11700 miles/45 mpg=260 gallons of gas
260 gallons x $3.30 = $858

TOTAL $1145

Now, if you’d driven 13,000 miles in an SUV
13000 miles/15mpg x$3.30 = $2861

Save 1716 a year, pay the smart off in 8 years.

Wow, 8 years. Almost doesn’t seem worth it… Maybe once they’re a few years old and on the used market… I feel dumb for doing all that math and then going back on my word!