CityRealty Insider > Smart Cars: Parking on a Dime

Smart Cars: Parking on a Dime

AUGUST 26, 2008

Is that a car in your pocket?
Maybe you’ve spotted a few: tiny cars that make you think “Where’s the other half?” Unless you’re from Europe, where they’ve been on the road for several years, diminutive smart cars are a relatively recent phenomenon.

The brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, CEO of the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch, the “microminis” were intended to be fuel-efficient, affordable for young people and easy to park. The car was finally produced in 1997 and it developed a following in 25 countries for its uniqueness. The flagship model was endearingly named Fortwo, priced starting at around $12k.

This year, the tiny Fortwos are officially available here through Smart USA . They’ve been hot sellers, as has a diesel version available only in Canada.

Is the car really a smart buy? Its gas mileage (about 33/41 MPG) is efficient (but not more so than eco-friendly hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius), and it is designed to be safer to drive than many existing compact cars. But its shining moment actually comes when you stop driving: You can, in fact, park two or three smarts in one regular parking spot.

Banking on the popularity of hybrids like the Prius, a company called Hybrid Technologies plans to sell an electric version of the smart car in the U.S. in the near future.

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