DH wrote:

> But the Yaris and Fit are noticeably cheaper. I don't see many people
> giving up the flexibility of something larger (Yaris, Fit, Cobalt LS, Focus)
> to get 40mpg, unless gas prices go way up.

My mid-sized Honda Accord gets gas mileage that's almost on par with Focus,
Cobalt, and even Aveo. So it makes no sense to compare those cars to the
fuel-stingy Yaris and Fit.


> If it was the same price as a Yaris, I'd consider it. I'd have to believe
> it was reliable, though.

Considering that this is a DamnYourCrapsler product, I don't expect it to be
all that reliable.

 

DH wrote:

> But the Yaris and Fit are noticeably cheaper. I don't see many people
> giving up the flexibility of something larger (Yaris, Fit, Cobalt LS, Focus)
> to get 40mpg, unless gas prices go way up.

My mid-sized Honda Accord gets gas mileage that's almost on par with Focus,
Cobalt, and even Aveo. So it makes no sense to compare those cars to the
fuel-stingy Yaris and Fit.


> If it was the same price as a Yaris, I'd consider it. I'd have to believe
> it was reliable, though.

Considering that this is a DamnYourCrapsler product, I don't expect it to be
all that reliable.

 

DH wrote:

> But the Yaris and Fit are noticeably cheaper. I don't see many people
> giving up the flexibility of something larger (Yaris, Fit, Cobalt LS, Focus)
> to get 40mpg, unless gas prices go way up.

My mid-sized Honda Accord gets gas mileage that's almost on par with Focus,
Cobalt, and even Aveo. So it makes no sense to compare those cars to the
fuel-stingy Yaris and Fit.


> If it was the same price as a Yaris, I'd consider it. I'd have to believe
> it was reliable, though.

Considering that this is a DamnYourCrapsler product, I don't expect it to be
all that reliable.

 

DH wrote:

> But the Yaris and Fit are noticeably cheaper. I don't see many people
> giving up the flexibility of something larger (Yaris, Fit, Cobalt LS, Focus)
> to get 40mpg, unless gas prices go way up.

My mid-sized Honda Accord gets gas mileage that's almost on par with Focus,
Cobalt, and even Aveo. So it makes no sense to compare those cars to the
fuel-stingy Yaris and Fit.


> If it was the same price as a Yaris, I'd consider it. I'd have to believe
> it was reliable, though.

Considering that this is a DamnYourCrapsler product, I don't expect it to be
all that reliable.

 

F. H., 6/29/2006,7:52:40 PM, wrote:

> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.

I saw a bunch of these earlier this year in Germany. They're smaller
than you can imagine. Take a MINI and chop off a third of it. They
also are higher and narrower in profile. I think you might get a paper
grocery bag in the trunk area width-wise. I think they're only good
for driving around cities; I'd be afraid of driving over 50 MPH in one
of those.

 

F. H., 6/29/2006,7:52:40 PM, wrote:

> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.

I saw a bunch of these earlier this year in Germany. They're smaller
than you can imagine. Take a MINI and chop off a third of it. They
also are higher and narrower in profile. I think you might get a paper
grocery bag in the trunk area width-wise. I think they're only good
for driving around cities; I'd be afraid of driving over 50 MPH in one
of those.

 

F. H., 6/29/2006,7:52:40 PM, wrote:

> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.

I saw a bunch of these earlier this year in Germany. They're smaller
than you can imagine. Take a MINI and chop off a third of it. They
also are higher and narrower in profile. I think you might get a paper
grocery bag in the trunk area width-wise. I think they're only good
for driving around cities; I'd be afraid of driving over 50 MPH in one
of those.

 

F. H., 6/29/2006,7:52:40 PM, wrote:

> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.

I saw a bunch of these earlier this year in Germany. They're smaller
than you can imagine. Take a MINI and chop off a third of it. They
also are higher and narrower in profile. I think you might get a paper
grocery bag in the trunk area width-wise. I think they're only good
for driving around cities; I'd be afraid of driving over 50 MPH in one
of those.

 

These things are all over the place here in Vancouver - the Smart cars
have been available here for a couple years now, and they've become
popular to the point that city councilors are being encouraged to
introduce special parking rates for them (you can fit two into a
standard parking space).

You don't see them so much outside the metropolitan areas - they're much
better suited for commuting and just running around town, than to long
highway drives.

F. H. wrote:
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But
> first Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can
> hold its own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could
> carry the 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant
> in France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche
> said. The passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is
> designed to work like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating
> passengers from the shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural
> integrity" of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign
> and stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and
> that U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the
> brand's U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of
> new-car dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several
> small cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that
> have room for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range
> as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed
> the company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only
> because of its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and
> appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing
> a version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars
> are converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private
> firm with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price,
> said Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the
> only Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

These things are all over the place here in Vancouver - the Smart cars
have been available here for a couple years now, and they've become
popular to the point that city councilors are being encouraged to
introduce special parking rates for them (you can fit two into a
standard parking space).

You don't see them so much outside the metropolitan areas - they're much
better suited for commuting and just running around town, than to long
highway drives.

F. H. wrote:
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But
> first Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can
> hold its own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could
> carry the 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant
> in France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche
> said. The passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is
> designed to work like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating
> passengers from the shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural
> integrity" of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign
> and stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and
> that U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the
> brand's U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of
> new-car dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several
> small cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that
> have room for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range
> as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed
> the company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only
> because of its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and
> appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing
> a version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars
> are converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private
> firm with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price,
> said Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the
> only Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

These things are all over the place here in Vancouver - the Smart cars
have been available here for a couple years now, and they've become
popular to the point that city councilors are being encouraged to
introduce special parking rates for them (you can fit two into a
standard parking space).

You don't see them so much outside the metropolitan areas - they're much
better suited for commuting and just running around town, than to long
highway drives.

F. H. wrote:
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But
> first Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can
> hold its own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could
> carry the 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant
> in France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche
> said. The passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is
> designed to work like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating
> passengers from the shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural
> integrity" of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign
> and stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and
> that U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the
> brand's U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of
> new-car dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several
> small cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that
> have room for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range
> as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed
> the company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only
> because of its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and
> appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing
> a version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars
> are converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private
> firm with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price,
> said Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the
> only Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

These things are all over the place here in Vancouver - the Smart cars
have been available here for a couple years now, and they've become
popular to the point that city councilors are being encouraged to
introduce special parking rates for them (you can fit two into a
standard parking space).

You don't see them so much outside the metropolitan areas - they're much
better suited for commuting and just running around town, than to long
highway drives.

F. H. wrote:
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
> sale here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But
> first Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can
> hold its own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could
> carry the 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant
> in France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche
> said. The passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is
> designed to work like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating
> passengers from the shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural
> integrity" of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign
> and stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and
> that U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the
> brand's U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of
> new-car dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several
> small cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that
> have room for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range
> as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed
> the company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only
> because of its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and
> appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing
> a version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars
> are converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private
> firm with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price,
> said Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the
> only Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

"flobert" <nomail@here.NOT> wrote in message
news:4kvaa29ctp7iur6152mbbhlu2jn1f70m94@4ax.com...

>
> Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
> first what, 8-10".

Ahhhhhh... no. 140mph head on and the F1 car explodes. But, that's the
design intent. The only thing that escapes is the driver's tub. If a car
did not dissipate the energy the driver would. Chances of survival in a
140mph head on impact which only crushed 8-10" of a car would be quite low.

--

-Mike-
mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net

 

"flobert" <nomail@here.NOT> wrote in message
news:4kvaa29ctp7iur6152mbbhlu2jn1f70m94@4ax.com...

>
> Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
> first what, 8-10".

Ahhhhhh... no. 140mph head on and the F1 car explodes. But, that's the
design intent. The only thing that escapes is the driver's tub. If a car
did not dissipate the energy the driver would. Chances of survival in a
140mph head on impact which only crushed 8-10" of a car would be quite low.

--

-Mike-
mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net

 

"flobert" <nomail@here.NOT> wrote in message
news:4kvaa29ctp7iur6152mbbhlu2jn1f70m94@4ax.com...

>
> Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
> first what, 8-10".

Ahhhhhh... no. 140mph head on and the F1 car explodes. But, that's the
design intent. The only thing that escapes is the driver's tub. If a car
did not dissipate the energy the driver would. Chances of survival in a
140mph head on impact which only crushed 8-10" of a car would be quite low.

--

-Mike-
mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net