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Natural Awakenings National

Built for Two: Smart Car Wins Smiles

In 2008, the American update of Europe’s hot-selling Mercedes-built Smart Car entered the United States with 30,000 reservations. This savvy urban two-seater is 7.5 inches longer than its European cousin, but still four feet shorter than the MINI Cooper.

“In Europe, we don’t think of it as a car for the countryside, but that’s tradition. Americans can drive it coast-to-coast,” says Christophe Petay, a Smart dealer in Paris.

These beauties turn on a dime, park where others fear to fit and are counter-intuitively comfortable. Full bucket seats include business-class legroom. Petay points out that the design specs for the front end match those of any mid-sized European car, with the size savings taken from the rear of the vehicle. The U.S. model is better priced than it is in Europe, at $11,590 for the basic runabout, up to $16,590 for the deluxe convertible. 

For FAQ and more visit www.SmartUSA.com.


Source: The Christian Science Monitor

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