With gas prices at historic highs in the United States and fuel-efficient cars in vogue, the timing was perfect for DaimlerChrysler to introduce the Smart Car to U.S. markets. Already popular in Europe, the Smart Car was small in stature but big on economy.
The Smart Car began with Nicolas Hayek, the man who invented Swatch watches.
He wanted to make a small car that would be fuel efficient, environmentally responsible and easy to park in small spaces. When you see the Smart Car, the first thing that you notice is its size. The City Coupe (renamed to “Fortwo” once Smart began releasing other models), is only 8 feet, 2.5 inches long, less than 5 feet wide and about 5 feet tall. That means that instead of parallel parking in line with other cars, a Smart Car can back right up to the curb. Two or three Smart Cars can park that way in a single curbside parking space.
The Smart Car has a unique appearance – it looks almost like a cube on wheels, with the front edge trimmed down. However, that high length-to-width ratio helps the Fortwo corner with a greater degree of stability. It’s easily one of the lightest four-wheeled vehicles on the road.
One of the major problems with very small, light automobiles is that they can be unsafe in a collision. The Smart solution is the Tridion steel safety shell. This hemispherical steel “cage” encloses the interior of the car and also forms the bulk of the Smart’s chassis. A small energy-absorbing crumple zone at the front of the car lessens impacts, and the engine lives in the trunk of the car instead of the front.
The Tridion frame also provides a distinct element of style to the Smart Car. Most of the frame shows through to the outside of the car. The rest of the Smart’s body comprises replaceable, recyclable body panels. They are so easy to change that Smart owners can quickly change the color of their car when they get tired of one color scheme.
For more information contact Gordon Giacomazzi, General Manager, Smart Center Oxnard, 1511 Auto Center Drive, Oxnard, CA 93036. Call 866-296-3025 or visit www.smartcenter-Oxnard.com.