Smart Car Blog

Looks like more then the wife and the kids are getting into the smart feeling this year! Check out this smart dog all ready to go in his hot new red smart fortwo.

With the New York Auto Show pumping out new rides and showing off crazy designs by each automaker, it makes me wander if Scion took a look over at smart's old rides and said that they can make a comeback of the smart crosstown.





More on the Hako:

NEW YORK, March 19, 2008 -- Scion unveiled its Hako Coupe Concept vehicle at a press conference today at the New York International Auto Show. Scion's Hako Coupe was developed by Tokyo Design Division, which studied global, youth-inspired trends. Japanese and American youth cultures often influence each other and are interpreted with a unique twist. The Hako Coupe Concept was inspired by the iconic xB and the emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters.

"Scion's Hako Coupe Concept embodies a distinct global perspective on today's youth," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "This type of forward thinking complements the Scion philosophy of intently listening to our customers and being willing to take risks to help us see where our brand should be. We took the xB's iconic boxy shape and explored something more vivacious, yet just as emotionally appealing. This concept is the sporty version of a box."

Worried that you are going to tip you Smart Fortwo? Well I was to in the beginning but after watching this video I have no worries. I am giving the Smart Fortwo a A+ on handling which is a much better score then the power.

I was thinking how nice it would be to spend under $10,000 for a car that gets 47 miles per gallon, is easy to park and cheap to register. I found the last two sentences irritating: "Some observers doubt whether American drivers are ready for such a radical revolution in size and horsepower. American consumers would probably perceive the minicar as a kind of toy."

I will decide for myself what I want as a consumer; it's not really up to an industry spokesman to tell me what I want. American consumers buy what is available. If a small, well-styled and well-built car were for sale here in the United States, you'd better believe people would buy it.

As for the toy aspect, so what? Some people have MG Midgets as toys; other people have gigantic, bus-sized campers as toys.

We're a wide-open country, and many of us have to commute 30, 40, 50 miles to work one way each day. Furthermore, most of us drive to and from work without passengers or huge amounts of cargo, so dragging along that excess capacity and horsepower does not make much sense.

I was fortunate to have a European vacation this summer. While in Berlin, I got an up-close look at several Smart Cars. They get 50 mpg, are well-built and engineered for safety, have nice features like air conditioning and power windows and can go 85 mph.

The diesel version gets 60 mpg, but it can't be sold here because of emission restrictions.