Detroit Auto Show: US Launch Information for the Smart ForTwo
Click above image to view AutoBlogGreen's coverage of the Smart US launch and a gallery of high-res images
AutoBlogGreen has information on the impending US market launch of the Smart ForTwo. Here's the gist: sub-$15,000 base price, three trim levels, coupe and cabriolet, and one gas engine will be available at launch. We've also got a large gallery of live shots from the show floor, as well as outside Cobo Hall where SMART cars are being parallel parked between two large limos all day long. Weird.
Check out all the debuts and galleries from the Detroit Auto Show here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ruggels 1:18PM (1/07/2007)
Sub $15,000 base price? The US introduction might just work.
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Paul 5:06PM (1/07/2007)
This thing is going to be so popular...great move bringing it here.
My guess: it was the New Beetle in 1998, the Mini in 2001, and now, the Smart in 2007 (or 2008, whenever they're releasing them). I've seen the previous generation in Europe, and they are very cool...you definitely notice them. Also, unlike the Beetle and Mini, they won't wait five years after the debut of the coupe to come out with the cabrio.
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jgp 1:36PM (1/07/2007)
Sub-$15k city car? This would be the perfect car for someone who lives in a big city and rarely leaves town.
My only question is...when does it come out?
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dave 3:49PM (1/07/2007)
can also be used as a coffin when rear ended by a yugo. i've got shoes that are bigger than this death trap.
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curtis 8:56AM (1/08/2007)
Are you kidding me? 15k, that's steep. I was at most expecting nothing more than 12k. This isn't going to go over well against the other small and less expensive cars in the states.
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Peter G 2:16PM (1/07/2007)
The problem I see is this is the gas version which doesn't get that great of gas mileage. You can get a Yaris hatchback that is much more practical, can carry 4 people in a pinch, can carry much more cargo, has much better performance and is competitive on price and gas mileage.
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M. 2:16PM (1/07/2007)
#2: It will come out around september in the US, around march in Europe.
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M. 6:08PM (1/07/2007)
#3: Of course. Even the Toyota Aygo or the Dacia Logan offer more than a Smart -- at less than two third of the price. But here in Europe Smarts are popular in big cities because parking is more easy with 3 feet less of an automobile.
So the Smart has its niche in Rome, Paris, Madrid, Brusells, London, Berlin -- and probably New York too...
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CSOCSO 4:29PM (1/07/2007)
15k????LOL! for this??? i know this car back from europe... no thanks!!!!! Scion xb FTW=bigger, better, safer, etc.!
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Galley 2:57PM (1/07/2007)
I'm certainly a DCX fanboy, but for $15K I'd rather have a Honda Fit.
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lavardera 7:23PM (1/07/2007)
interesting that the rear wheels have some dish, and the front wheels do not.
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Peter G 5:24PM (1/07/2007)
My guess is you are out to lunch comparing it to a mini or Beetle. This is glorified golf cart/clown car. Many reviewers describe it as the worse car they have ever driven. It is the antithesis of fun to drive. Does 0-60 is something like 18 seconds. This is the car if you like attention, pointing and laughing attention.
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Dave C 9:42AM (1/08/2007)
CSOCSO: Don't be too sure. Last month the IIHS rated the xB as one of the poorest performers in crash tests. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=118908?imw=Y
The current Fortwo gets a three-star Euro NCAP rating and the new one is expected to get four.
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spots 9:18PM (1/07/2007)
What kind of gas mileage are we talking about here? I'm gonna have to replace my 3 cylinder Metro eventually- if this is north of 50 mpg, it'll be tempting. Unnerving on the interstate? Probably. So's a Metro.
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Richard Warren 4:57AM (1/08/2007)
15k, right in the ballpark, the car is great!
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aaron 10:07PM (1/08/2007)
FYI no reviews yet of this new 2nd generation Smart which has a new powerplant. Reviews of the 1st generation were mixed in Canada but not many (if in fact any) characterized it as "the worst car thet have ever driven". With the small engines that are popular in Europe a lots of cars have pretty sluggish 0-60 times. Do try to keep up.
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Tiago do Vale 11:15PM (1/07/2007)
9# Show me a single example of such reviews, please...
In fact: it is incredibly fun to drive: it's small length gives him extra agility, and it has a rear engine with rear-wheel drive: it's fun!!!
And, again, it's safer than any american car, with 4 stars in the EuroNCAP tests (the old smart). As far as I know, America is still to know an american car with 5 stars...
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Peter G 6:36AM (1/08/2007)
I have seen several. Top Gear (UK show) labeled it the worse handling car ever. A Canadian show said it was probably the worse winter car ever, it could barely move in the winter.
Here is an Edmunds editors take:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=116591/pageId=101501
this Fortwo was easily the worst car I've driven in years — maybe ever.
Keeping up with traffic was another issue entirely. Imagine driving an '83 Chevette with a bad transmission and a queen-size mattress strapped to the roof and you get the idea. Every lane change was a gut check, and if I didn't keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel, it would start heading for the shoulder with every wind gust. By the time I settled into a safe corner of Interstate 10, it was dawning on me that the air-conditioning was barely keeping up and there wasn't a cupholder in sight.
I figured once I got back onto city streets, the Fortwo wouldn't feel so primitive. But the situation didn't improve. The jerky transmission is a joke, and with its tiny wheelbase the Fortwo doesn't suck up bumps very well either. Even after all that I was still inclined to give the gas-sipping city car a break. I mean, for $5,000, it wouldn't be a bad alternative to all those new subcompacts flooding the market. You know the ones with twice the interior space, twice the power and four times the refinement. Then I looked up the price — around $15,000. In that case, it's definitely the worst car I've ever driven.
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FAA 10:12AM (1/08/2007)
Not launching with a diesel is one dumb move, SMART. Most people interested in this car are concerned with MPG. Why not start things off with the most MPG you can provide?
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chris 3:02PM (1/08/2007)
Can this thing really be that bad?? Any small car with a short wheel base will not handle bumps well and a tall body like that is going to have wind resistance. These are things you should almost expect in a vehicle of this size. It is 3 feet shorter than an 06 Mini Cooper. No one should expect the ForTwo to have a soft and composed ride quality.
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