Archives

The purpose? To show that the SMART Fortwo loves cities and cities love SMART. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/in-the-news/t-the-smart-is-being-shown-right-where-it-lives-6769.html#post49415)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/549/News_08_Smart_Fortwo.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com) - Oct. 10, 2007

A building in downtown Venice Beach has been converted into the new “SMART house”. The SMART house is not a super efficient off-the-grid type home but the launch pad for the SMART Fortwo into the upscale area. The house is actually a showroom for customers to learn firsthand that the SMART Fortwo is much more than just an economical, compact, and safe automobile. The SMART house will provide product information where prospective buyers will be able to speak with company reps, configure their own SMART and take test drives. Four SMART Fortwo’s will be on display inside the home.

“The smart house will present the world and lifestyle of a typical SMART driver and convey the intrinsic values of this unique city car, showing visitors that bigger is not always better,” says Anders Sundt Jensen, responsible for brand management at smart. “We are putting forward a very personalized brand image, from the interior design to the presentation of the favorite leisure activities of smart drivers and their attitudes to topics like the environment,” continues Jensen.

Currently, over 30,000 Americans have reserved a SMART Fortwo on the company’s website.

Besides the Fortwo presentation and promotion, other activities at the home will include education about the environment and climate change, music, fashion and fine arts. All will attempt to emulate the brand’s projected image. One of the scheduled events will include Joel Tauber exhibiting works on the topic of environment and sustainability.

The smart home is on Abbot Kinney Boulevard 1319, Venice Beach, Los Angeles California and open from Oct. 11, 2007 through Jan. 25, 2008; Tuesday’s through Sunday’s from 11 AM to 9 PM.

This morning in Kunming, China I saw a very similar (body design) vehicle with a Toyota emblem! No photo yet, but I will carry the camera around for a while and see if I get lucky.

Hi Doug:

___Did it look anything like the beautifully sculpted Toyota iQ concept?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Toyota_iQ.jpg

___It is almost as if Toyota is waiting to see if the SMART is a success or not and then will bring in their own micro to compete. From the looks of the iQ, I think we both know which of the two would bury the other in very short order. An HSD setup w/ a .6 - 1.0L and this thing would be awesome :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne, from that picture, the iQ looks a little angry. :mad: They need a slight redesign for the front so it looks happier. :)

By golly you're right, Michael!! That's pretty funny! :p

Back on topic, I would definitely choose the Toyota over the SMART car. I would expect way superior build quality, reliability, and fuel economy from it. I wonder if the crash ratings would hold up compared to the SMART?

This morning in Kunming, China I saw a very similar (body design) vehicle with a Toyota emblem! No photo yet, but I will carry the camera around for a while and see if I get lucky.

The Chinese have already plagarized the Smart. There are many photos of it floating around the net. I would not be surprised if the Toyota emblem was plagarized as well.

Hi Michael:
Wayne, from that picture, the iQ looks a little angry. :mad: They need a slight redesign for the front so it looks happier. :)___Maybe it’s a ticked off because it knows it is a little short where it counts :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne, from that picture, the iQ looks a little angry. :mad: They need a slight redesign for the front so it looks happier. :)Maybe the designer joined Toyota from the truck division of Chrysler. :D

I'm willing to bet that the car you saw was the Toyota Aygo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Aygo). It's very short, just a tad longer than the Smart. Toyota, Citroen, and Peugeot make these together, Citroen's version is the C1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citroen_C1), and Peugeot's is the 107 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_107). Here you can get these cars with a 1.0 liter gas engine, which is Toyota's (and has three cilinders), or a 1.4 diesel engine, which comes AFAIK from Peugeot and Citroen, they both use it in some of their other cars. I've heard that it will be coming to the US next year (the Toyota, not the Citroen or Peugeot versions). These cars are all very high quality, since Toyota did most of the work around them, PSA (the company which combines Peugeot and Citroen) took care of the seats and some other details. They got 4 out of 5 stars on the EuroNCAP crash tests.

The rated fuel economy (for the gas engine) is around 50 MPG (US), but I think that in the hands of most people here it will get much more. But even when driven by someone who doesn't hypermile, it's still pretty good. I think the diesel probably gets even better FE numbers, but I don't know for certain.

Aha, I've found some info on a possible Aygo introduction in the US here (http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/20/toyota-aygo-may-make-it-to-u-s/).

Now if only they would make it an EV, or even a PHEV...

Hi Michael:

___How about these?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Hybrid_Technologies_Smart_Car.jpg
SMART Li-ION EV

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Smart_Fourtwo_1-Tonne_Challenge.jpg
Diesel anyone?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Smart_Fortwo_-_MHD_Micro-Hybrid-Drive.JPG
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Smart_Fortwo_-_MHD_Closeup.jpg
Micro-Hybrid Drive and the close-up.

___Although there is no PHEV variant as of my understanding, the MHD version is available in Europe starting this month and the diesel has been available in Canada until recently and all across Europe for many years. If you want a write-up on the MHD, just ask as I have quite a bit of access to info on it.

___The real question is when is it our turn to get some of the more advanced versions?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Maybe I can talk to wife into moving to Europe. ;)

I'll get to work on some Photoshopping! :-)

--des

Wayne, from that picture, the iQ looks a little angry. :mad: They need a slight redesign for the front so it looks happier. :)