Yesterday, a steady stream of Smart enthusiasts lined up in Devon to check out the tiny cars, which were in town as part of a nationwide Smart road show that is heralding the vehicle's planned U.S. debut this January.
By the end of the day, 240 had test-driven a Smart fortwo - that's its official, informative name. Similar crowds were expected today in Devon, and tomorrow and Sunday near the University of Pennsylvania. (For information, visit www.smartusa.com.)
Not all needed to be sold on the car, especially those invited because they'd already paid $99 to get on a Smart waiting list. Since March, more than 20,000 have paid the refundable fee. Base prices for the three models of the Smart fortwo will range from about $12,000 to $17,000.
"We signed up the first day, because we knew we wanted one," said Jim Richmann, an Intel engineer who traveled 130 miles from Lewes, Del., so that his wife, Frances, could test-drive the car they plan to buy.
They'd seen Smart cars all over Italy last October, when they visited there for a month. Both were impressed by how maneuverable and efficient the small car seemed, especially "in a crowded Roman street." She's already picked a color: "sun yellow."
The Smart will replace her aging Dodge Neon. A retired college administrator, Frances Richmann said she just needs a car to get around the streets of Lewes, "a small town with limited parking."
It wasn't just the car's efficiency that drew them. Jim Richmann said "the coolness factor" also appealed. "I think she just wanted something a little more fun," he said.
Smart's manufacturer, DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes Car Group, is clearly banking on such buzz to sell the U.S. market on a brand introduced in 1998 and sold in 36 other countries, including in Canada and Britain.
Why did Daimler wait so long to enter the U.S. market?
