Can I buy a Smart Car here in the US?

I took a look at the website, but it’s a UK-site. They have a US version, but it’s fully of cheesy flash animations that I can’t navigate.

What’s the horsepower rating?

Last I heard, they were going to sell a “Smart mini-SUV” in the US, instead of the Smarts we know and love - at least at first.

This site seems to be taking orders for “unoffical imports” for the Smart “fortwo” - that’s two seats and 60hp to you, from a 698cc engine, with a top speed of 84mph (0-60 in 15.5 ye… sorry, seconds).

Hmm, there might be problems with unofficial imports:

Homologated?

It would appear that, in Detroit at least, you can get one for free!. It would be ironic if, the first time they took it out on the road, they got nailed by the state troopers.

According to this CNN piece, between EPA’s nod of approval, and Zapworld’s modifications of the car to meet U.S. safety requirements, it’s road-legal. The manufacturer can’t import them because they haven’t modified them to meet the regs, but it sure sounds like Zapworld can.

Good stuff… thanks guys!

From Merriam Webster’s website:

Applied to cars, it usually means a production-based car that’s been approved for racing, but in this case it probably means just general conformance with U.S. regulations for road cars.

Lots of racing organizations over the years have set standards on what exactly constitutes “production-based”, usually with some minimum number that have to be produced. (I’ve seen requirements to produce 25, 100, 200 or 5000 of a particular model.) The original Ferrari 250 GTO got it’s name from that process. “GTO” stands for “Gran Turismo Omologato”.

Sounds like DaimlerChrysler have decided to delay the US intro of the Smart.

“ForMore No More? Smart stops work on wagon for U.S., vehicle pulled from Detroit show”
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101486

I swear I saw one of these or something very similar on a highway near me last week.

The driver was trying to enter onto a busy highway from a dead stop, up a hill. It was dark out (early am) and I didn’t even see the car, whatever it was, until I was practically on top of it because it was so small. :eek:

I’ve seen one here in the Boston area. I believe it had manufacturer plates, which may have allowed it to be imported.

I’ve started to see them around town here in Toronto.

I waaaaant one. :slight_smile:

look under zap.com

My God, please don’t tell me any of you are serious?!?! I cringe every time I see one of those ‘cars’.

[IMHO]
I think they’re pretty neat, actually. The ForTwo not so much, but the Roadster (road test, images) looks seriously fun (albeit rather like a giant’s rollerskate :smiley: ) There’s often one parked in my local rail station car park. I’m often tempted to just pick it up and take it home with me…
[/IMHO]

The main problem I can see with the Smart being marketed in the USA is that it’s made in France! I can’t see that going over too well, given that France is currently slightly below North Korea in the list of America’s Favorite Countries.

GQ: How many Renaults, Citroëns and Peugeots do you see in the USA?

Renault sold cars here for a while in the '70s. The problem wasn’t with their Frenchness, but that the cars were horribly cheesy, unreliable pieces of crap.

As a result, French automakers developed a permanent reputation (probably undeserved) of making substandard garbage cars.

That Smart thing may be nothing more than a motorized rollerskate, but it’s much better than anything we’ve gotten out of France in the past.

I don’t know if it was a Smart. They’re not THAT small. They do have to hold 2 people so they are fairly tall and wide, they’re only ‘short’ when it comes to their length.

They’re really neat. I’ve seen a few in downtown Toronto (where they ROCK in traffic). I’d love to try one out. Parking would be crazy easy.

I’ve seen a few in Atlanta. I don’t know where or how they were purchased.