Re: I saw the future today.

Jette <bosslady@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> rkshullat@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
>> Martha Adams <mhada@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>> I saw the future: a blocky little car, just
>>> long enough to hold a driver and passenger
>>> side by side.  I think it was about 7 to
>>> 8 feet long.  Small tires.  Some people
>>> might call it "cute."  
>> 
>> I'm not sure the loss of passenger and cargo space
>> and increased cost is worth the roughly 15% increase
>> in fuel economy over something like the Yaris,
>> especially for the half of US households that have
>> more than 2 people in them.
>> 
>>> In any case, *big change* from the SUVs
>>> I've been seeing around since about 1996.
>>> One of those SUVs would make 3 or 4 of 
>>> these new midget things.  I wonder how
>>> that's going to work out with the general
>>> American public?
>> 
>> I think a lot of them will be sold as novelties
>> and repainted as mobile advertising, kind of like
>> the PT Cruiser and New Beetle were for a while.
>> The Yaris and the Prius are both more practical,
>> with the choice depending on budget.
>>
> 
> Lots and lots and lots of them over here in Europe.

I remember seeing some of them but they were still
a pretty uncommon sight. Maybe two or three of them in
the two weeks we spent driving around Germany last summer.
Nothing compared to, for example, the Toyota Camry of
which I see several dozen each day here at home or even
the much newer Yaris at one or two per day..
The main advantage of the Smart seems to be its ability to
fit into tiny parking spaces and for the most part that's
not going to be a big advantage in the US. The sort of
"creative parking" that I saw Smarts doing in Europe would
get you towed and impounded most places in the US.

	Robert
-- 
Robert K. Shull                           Email: rkshull at rosettacon dot
com