In the early 1990’s, Mercedes Benz joint ventured with Swatch, the designer watch folks, to develop an "ultra urban" car. The result was the Smart Car, which is now a common site in London, Paris, Rome and other urban areas in 36 countries. The USA is not counted among those, but that is about to change. The car debuts in the US in January 2008 and has an advanced reservation program in full swing.
You can have a look at the Smart Car yourself this weekend. The "Street Smart" Road Show rolls through Dallas Saturday and Sunday at Mockingbird Station. It is scheduled to be there, with test drives available, from 10:00am to 5:30 pm. both Saturday and Sunday.
The car is powered by a 3 cylinder gasoline engine that they claim can propel it at speeds up to 90 mph. I understand they are still looking for test drivers willing to be in it at that speed (just kidding). It is not a hybrid or electric car, but does get excellent mileage and features a full compliment of modern safety features and creature comforts, including a "safety cell" roll-cage type construction, electronic stability control, 5 speed automated manual transmission, power windows, air conditioning, heated seats, power steering, a premium audio system, a sunroof, even a convertible model. It is, after all, a Mercedes.
Not only is the car small, 8 feet long (which means you can park it head-in to a PARALLEL parking space) the list prices are surprisingly small, also, ranging from $11,590 for the base model to $16,590 for the cabriolet. These do not include some of the cooler options, but still. It will be interesting to see what you actually have to pay. I plan on being there Sunday.
