It is my understanding that the SMART car won't be available in the US until Q'2 2008 (pending approval by NTSB and other Gov't agencies). This is just an event to hype the car and determine the market / demand when / if they become available in the US.
This is a fun car to drive. I had one for a couple of months when I was in Europe for business last year. Mercedes has had a difficult time bringing these cars to America, primarily because of the strong lobbying efforts of our legacy car manufacturers and labor unions. They pose a threat to the status-quo in American autombiles, they are the antithesis of the Hummer or Yukon.
Charger - Mercedes-Benz of Buffalo is in Clarence (East of Transit Road). They moved to follow the money, just like so many other Buffalo businesses. That said, this is a great dealership that is very responsive to their customers needs, they have a great service department, and they donate to local causes and charities. They do a good job of representing Buffalo, we should be happy that they didn't rename the dealership "Mercedes of Clarence". If you can't handle the drive from the Thruway to Main Street (all of 10 minutes, even on a bad day) then you have much deeper issues to deal with that a smart car will not solve.
wow.........60mpg ?? And I felt smug when I got 56mpg in my Prius (usually around 48mpg).
I've seen these in Canada a lot, and it's exciting that they're available here now. I had no idea they were so affordable. $11,000 - 18,000 is the cost of a keychain at Mercedes, isn't it? I might have to get one.
Isn't that Mercedes-Benz of Williamsville? I don't recall seeing a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Buffalo.
But seriously, if they were smart (no pun intended) they would set up some sort of Smart showroom space in downtown Buffalo. Even if it were only a temporary space at the Convention Center or in one of the parking ramps or a tent in a surface lot. Who wants to deal with the traffic nightmare in Williamsville in order to get one of these great cars?
The Smart car has been in Canada for a couple of years now. You can see them toodling around Toronto. I had a chance to take a peek at its interior, and it's surprisingly roomy. The company promotes its safety features, in order to allay fears from the car buying public. To learn more about these features, there are two good independent websites that offer information. www.asmartcar.com, and www.smartcar of america. com. While the car maybe as safe as it can be for its size, it's not the kind of car I'd personally want to take on the QEW.
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