Smart
There've been Smart Car sightings around the Davis Square area lately. Smart is a division of German car company DailmerChrysler that specializes in shockingly teeny two-seaters designed for Eurpean cities. (I'm not linking to the official site 'cause it's a stunningly user-hostile cloud of Flashtulence, but it's at http://www.smart.com/ if you want to attempt to use it.)
So these babies are eye-catchingly cute and futuristic, but Smart is distinctly uninterested in the US market, largely because they believe Americans to pretty much measure car value by the pound, which is why they're planning to introduce a "small SUV" here in 2006 (!??);but also a regulatory and consumer climate (cough!) much more hostile to diesel engines than Europe is.
So since Smart isn't making a US version, and since they the're illegal to import unmodified, if Americans are gonna buy them, someone would have to step up to the plate and modify them to US standards. Zap! Incorporated wants to do just that. Their website announces that they've gotten DOT and EPA approval for their conversion procedure, which only adds another ten thousand dollars to the final pricetag, taking it from about $15,000 to $25,000.
Even so, for the novelty, compactness, and fuel-efficiency (about 60 MPG), there'd be a substantial US market. Looks like Zap has overplayed their hand, though. Though no deal was sealed, they've launched [http://www.smartcar-usa.com/]. In late May, Zap issued a press release announcing a one buh-buh-billion dollar purchase of Smart cars from DaimlerChrysler.
DaimlerChrysler hastened to reply that this was news to them. Zap replied: "Notwithstanding some confusion in the marketplace about our recent orders for Smart Cars, we are happy to report that we have held meetings in Germany on March 21 with senior management of smart GmbH prior to submitting a $1 billion purchase order for Smart Cars, and we believe that there is a possibility of working together in the future to meet the incredible demand among U.S. drivers for the unique, fuel-efficient Smart Car microcoupe."
It's hard to say it was cause-and-effect, but 'a possibility of working together in the future' is exactly what DaimlerChrysler then proceeded to deny, saying "[w]e do not want to have any kind of business relationship with Zap either now or in the future."
But if there've been no transactions at all, where did Zap get the car for an announced sale at a Reno RV dealership? Turns out they're selling used cars and not bothering to mention it on their website.
It's a damn shame. Zap appears to have the tech and the idealism for this project, and the cars are frickin' cool, but they've already managed to squander the trust and goodwill of anyone paying attention. They're selling their second 'like-new' Smart on EBay now. Maybe they'll annoy DaimlerChrysler enough to force them to come over here with the two seater....Yeah! That'd neat!