another smart car
I had to post this. if you click on this photo you will be able to see greater detail of the map of long island decorating this tiny car's door. every time I see a small car on long island I think it is a good sign. I hope more and more people will be driving them- then I won't be afraid to drive one either.
Comments
Cool Photo. Thanks again for stopping by my blog and I hope you stop by again!
Paz
Hi Paz.
: )
That thing probably drives 40 miles/gallon or more.
The Smart has an interesting history. Swatch Watch approached Mercedes about building a small car that could be customized like the watches to the owner's whim by using colorful removable body panels. A deal was struck, Mercedes engineers developed the car, a plant was built and parts were ordered and a dealer network was formed. At the last minute, Swatch got cold feet and backed out the deal. Mercedes said 'We've been left with this bowl full of lemons, we best get crackin' on makin' some lemonade' (or the Teutonic equivalent there of). So the removable body panels went, the 'Smart' name selected and the car went into production. However, it has never sold to expectations in Europe despite its frugal ways with very expensive European gasoline. This was during the time Mercedes bought Chrysler. Then Mercedes got into big trouble because they let the quality of their cars slip. Ironically, Chrysler helped Mercedes fix their problems. Then Chrysler's sales plunged and Mercedes decided to unload Chrysler. Dieter Z. ("Louis" forgets his last name) was running Chrysler. Mercedes was contemplating shutting Smart down. They also brought Dieter Z. back to Stuttgart. He said, 'Wait. Pulling the plug on the Smart isn't smart. Let's sell it in the U.S.' He was nearly laughed out of the boardroom; the men in white jackets were almost called. 'Ha ha! That won't work! All Americans buy are pickups and SUVs. They won't buy the Smart!' Dieter prevailed. The Smart was launched in the U.S. Gas prices went up and the Smart sold out for months. Now Dieter Z. looks like a genius.
Thanks for sharing Louis.