Friday, January 19, 2007

For Two

I've been reading up on the Daimler-Chrysler Smart Fortwo, a super tiny "city car" that's been successful in Europe and Canada and will soon be making its US debut. There's much debate about whether Americans will buy such a tiny car. This micro car seats only two people and is all of 98.4" long (just over 8 feet, if you're willing to trust my math). This car is crazy small.

Me, I'd love to get one -- parking in my neighborhood would get so much easier! The problem, of course, is that there's no room for the twin car seats. (Do you think I could strap them to the roof?)

But will my fellow Americans really be interested in such a car? I don't think so. Here's why: (This is the part of the post when you get to laugh at how stupid I am.) What's with this "Fortwo" business? Who's going to buy a car with such a queer name? How do you even say that? Fort-woah? Fort-wuh? Fort-wu?


What's that? You say the car seats two?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know about all Canadians, but everyone I know just calls them Smart cars. And we don't take them seriously. I mean, who could? They look as though they could be totalled by a collision with a bicycle.

for a different kind of girl said...

it looks like one of those little tikes super coupes, so my kids would want to drive it themselves. i dig it. it looks cute, which probably isn't want the manufacturer is wanting the public response to be, but cute things make me smile.

Emily K. said...

I agree. Americans gravitate toward the HOLY CRAP THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING 'BOUT more than the AWWWW SO ADORABLE when it comes to vehicles and almost everything else.

Nanette said...

You'd be fine here--just throw them in somewhere--it is legal to have unrestrained kids in the car if the automobile is not equipped with enough seatbelts/seats. I think I'll get one. :)

Rug's Bug said...

I dig that car! It is indeed Cute! I'm with Sonya though. I'd be a nervous wreck (no pun intended) driving it anywhere!

And the pronunciation? I like For-t-woah

Pop pop said...

I think I read about a small car that D-C was partnering with that big RED country that is supplying just about everything to US now-a-days. I'm more than a little worried about the state of manufacturing in our country and the demise of the US auto industry is a point of fact. I drive imports but I for one will be looking very hard at a good americano product in the future. Maybe it's pronounced made-n-china.