I did a double-take the other day while driving on the 405 freeway. A very strange-looking yellow vehicle was visible in my rear-view mirror. It took me a few seconds to recognize it as a Smart car, the very first one I’ve seen in motion on a roadway here. (I will note that I am deviating from the company’s own practice of not capitalizing the name of the car.)
The Smart is a truly, notably tiny car. It’s not quite nine feet long. It seats only two people, plus maybe a bag or two of groceries. It’s the kind of car you would never think any American would willingly drive. The first time I saw one – in Holland in 2004 – I was so amazed I took a picture of it. As late as May of last year, each time I’d see one on the streets of Paris, I’d shake my head and snicker, “Where’s the rest of your car?”
And yet – apparently – someone’s buying! Three models, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, began retailing in the U.S. this January for prices ranging from about $11,500 to $16,500. The company says the tiny car – five feet wide and five feet tall – gets up to 41 miles per gallon, and in these days of expensive gasoline, that must surely be a selling point. Six dealerships are opening to serve the Los Angeles market, though none is particularly close to Long Beach. (I got the photo and other details here)
I have a friend who was able to borrow a Smart car from her friend a few months back and drive it from Colorado to Southern California. One day she parked it outside City Hall and let the Mayor, City Manager, and other city staff kick the tires and sit inside. Another day she parked it outside the Portfolio coffehouse, and a Long Beach cop who spotted it demanded to know if it was even street-legal (which of course it is). Once he accepted her invitation to sit the driver’s seat, he was impressed at how roomy it was.
As long as we humans are addicted to driving ourselves around, we’re going to have to consider strategies like the Smart car to at least forestall some of the potentially dire economic and environmental consequences of long-term fossil fuel use. Of course, ultimately we will need many more wholesale changes in individual behavior – but it’s very heartening to know that there are Americans who are willing to be seen driving these tiny, whimsical cars.
And the little yellow guy behind me on the freeway the other day? Passed my turbocharged VW Passat handily. Whoosh.