Get smart; Is DaimlerChrysler Smart Enough to Make Agent 86 the smart Brand Spokesperson?
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| You'd better get ready to accept this friendly face into your neighborhood. The smart forfour should be popular based on its 'cute as a button' styling, low expected base price and forecast high perceived quality. See the picture gallery for additional photos. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
It's not too often a completely new automotive brand comes to Canada, but such is the case with smart. Yes, smart is spelled in the lowercase, which hardly lives up to its name. At least it's trendy in a subcultural way.
DaimlerChrysler, smart's parent company, recently released the first pictures of its forfour, the model scheduled for North American consumption. It incorporates the 'traditional' smart styling and engineering cues, such as two tone color combinations and its Tridion safety cell construction. The new car, which will be built in Mexico for our market, will go on sale in Canada in 2004 as a 2005 model.
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| Its handy 5-door layout combines hatchback versatility for cargo with four doors for easy entry and exit of occupants. See the picture gallery for more photos. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
While not as small as the original 2-seat smart city, a car and not Bill Gates' version of utopia, the new forfour is still a scant 3,750 mm (147.6 in) long. Still it won't be the shortest of all cars available in Canada. That will remain BMW's Mini, at 3,636 mm (143.2 in), followed closely by the upcoming 2004 Toyota Echo Hatch at 3,733 mm (147.0 in). Subcompacts like Hyundai's 4,222 mm (166.2 in) 3-door Accent hatchback and Kia's 4,240 mm (166.9 in) long 4-door Rio are limousine-like in comparison.
In Europe both gasoline and diesel variants will be available but for now we should only expect petrol power for Canada. For the time being no fuel economy estimates are being announced, but it is expected to be extremely thrifty as well as 'particulately' clean.