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I think just about eveyone scratches there head .
When they go the road and sees a smart car and
wonder how strong those things really are !

Well here ya go :

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 80&q=crash

Note to self: Don't drive Smart Car head-on in to a concrete wall at speed. Thanks for the heads-up.

Actually, we don't have these little wheelchair/automobiles here in the US, but I am always amused by them on my trips to the UK, until I see them out on the open highway with all the real cars, when I become terrified.

Thanks for the vid - confirms what one would expect.

Oh - there is a chopper ("custom') shop down the street from my house, rather well-known one callef "Evolution Cycles" (http://www.evolutioncustoms.com/homepage.html ) - went in there out of curiosity not long ago and they had a custom trike powered by a Smart Car engine!

Looks like it fared pretty well. The cabin seems to have held up. The steering wheel was not shoved into the driver's seat.
While hitting a concrete wall at 70 miles per is not what any car was designed to do, this does illustrate the effectiveness of the design in dissipating energy without compromising the human space. I would bet many cars end up in worse shape. Let's not kid ourselves and think that any car, truck, suv etc.. is going to survive this crash and be repairable.

I would have liked to see where the driverside footwell. That looks like the only place where you would be susceptible to injury.

All in all it fared pretty well, but I would rather have a car that was a little larger.

Impressive for a small car, of course some of it had to do with the reduced weight.

I personally try very hard to avoid impacts with unmovable objects, but if I must have one ,I try to limit it to 3 MPH.......or less.

Suprisingly, it seems those things are relatively safe in an accident.

I know those have been a Godsend in Europe where all the streets were laid out for roman ox carts, but I still don't know if they will ever be a viable commdity in the US, Canada, and Austrailia. While the benefits of these vehicles are obvious, the true benefits will only be realized if the buying public finds them desireable. I don't think that will happen in countries where large expanses must be traversed between cities - often between cities and the suburbs around them. The larger vehicles just have the edge in comfort.

The other problem is one of marketing. Most people choose their car as an extention of their own personality. Subsequently, "smart" cars are only identifiable to those who see conservation, pollution reduction, etc., as a major aspect of their personnality. Add that to the few who buy for pure utility and you still have a pretty small percentage of the auto buying population.

As a marketing student, I'm curious as to what ideas the board may have to make these cars more popular. Focus on the cars themselves and what features you would need to see for you to make one your next car. Comfort? Performance? Utility?

Please, in the spirit and letter of the rules here, DO NOT POST ANY SUGGESTED POLITICAL SOLUTIONS. A political solution is defined as anything that would require government action or a change in someone's ideology to achieve it.

My thoughts on the matter is that we've already seen some improvements in that area. Witness the popularity of the Mini Cooper, Honda Element, Scion, etc. Obviously, these are not quite the same as the "smart" car in the video, but it is a start. The change, if it happens, will be evolutionary, after all.

So what do you guys think? With the wide variety of viewpoints here, I look forward to the responses!

I'm curious as to what ideas the board may have to make these cars more popular.

The ability to share a parking space?

I think I might be able to fit one in my garage with the wife's car and 3 motorcycles.

Uh... Economy? Besides the fuel savings, those things have to be less expensive to manufacture. Nothing like underpricing the market...

JToole wrote:Suprisingly, it seems those things are relatively safe in an accident.

I know those have been a Godsend in Europe where all the streets were laid out for roman ox carts, but I still don't know if they will ever be a viable commdity in the US, Canada, and Austrailia. While the benefits of these vehicles are obvious, the true benefits will only be realized if the buying public finds them desireable. I don't think that will happen in countries where large expanses must be traversed between cities - often between cities and the suburbs around them. The larger vehicles just have the edge in comfort.

The other problem is one of marketing. Most people choose their car as an extention of their own personality. Subsequently, "smart" cars are only identifiable to those who see conservation, pollution reduction, etc., as a major aspect of their personnality. Add that to the few who buy for pure utility and you still have a pretty small percentage of the auto buying population.

As a marketing student, I'm curious as to what ideas the board may have to make these cars more popular. Focus on the cars themselves and what features you would need to see for you to make one your next car. Comfort? Performance? Utility?

Please, in the spirit and letter of the rules here, DO NOT POST ANY SUGGESTED POLITICAL SOLUTIONS. A political solution is defined as anything that would require government action or a change in someone's ideology to achieve it.

My thoughts on the matter is that we've already seen some improvements in that area. Witness the popularity of the Mini Cooper, Honda Element, Scion, etc. Obviously, these are not quite the same as the "smart" car in the video, but it is a start. The change, if it happens, will be evolutionary, after all.

So what do you guys think? With the wide variety of viewpoints here, I look forward to the responses!

Does that include ecological viewpoints?


(just asking the question. )

Does that include ecological viewpoints?

Not as long as "to each their own."

As far as I can see, those who put environmental concerns very high on their list already love them! The same folks who buy hybrids may find a better product in these - especially when they compare highway mileage.

I don't know anybody who isn't concerned about the environment in one way or another. The trouble is, only a small percentage make the environment a high enough of priority to define their choice of car.

Uh... Economy? Besides the fuel savings, those things have to be less expensive to manufacture. Nothing like underpricing the market...

True, you would think being the low buck leader is a no brainer. The problem there is that pricing denotes quality. For years Detroit sold econo-boxes at a loss just to sell enough to meet CAFE regulations. The low price came back in the marketing research to say "low quality". Notice how the Cobalt and Focus is marketed today? Have you seen the prices? On the other hand, the Korean producers have really done well recently in the low buck market...

Still, one thing works well in favor of the "low buck to produce" factor: It gives the producer the option to go for the "low buck market", or option it out and still make a decent profit while going for a "quality" segment.

The ability to share a parking space?

I think I might be able to fit one in my garage with the wife's car and 3 motorcycles.

Hmmmm. "In the box" thinking?

Boy, couldn't we all use that? I know I could, but it just isn't enough for me to give up my Subaru Legacy.

Hmmmm. Maybe an all wheel drive smart car with decent luggage capacity? Just enough SUV-like utility in a cozy little package. Performance similar to my Legacy in half the weight, garage space, and fuel consumption. Yeah, you could probably sell me on that - especially if it has a bit of a price edge.