Two South Florida automobile dealers are gearing up to sell the European smart car, set to make its American debut early next year.
The subcompact car, called a smart fortwo, is made by Mercedes Car Group, a DaimlerChrysler AG company. It will be distributed in the United States by Smart USA Distributor LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., through a national dealer network.
In Europe, the smart cars have become a popular sight along narrow city streets and urban areas since its launch in October 1998. Today more than 800,000 drivers in 36 countries, including France, Italy and Spain, are owners of the two-seater vehicle.
Fort Lauderdale-based Rick Case Automotive will have rights to sell the smart fortwo in Broward County. Construction has begun on a $2 million, 5,000-square-foot boutique dealership adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic, off Interstate 75 in Weston.
Scheduled for a January 2008 opening, the Rick Case boutique dealership will carry three models of the smart car in coupe or convertible. The basic Pure is expected to have a sticker price starting at $11,590, the Passion coupe at $13,590 and the Passion Cabrio convertible at $16,590. On Oct. 31, a smart car will be on display at the Weston dealership for people who reserved the cars to test drive, dealer Rick Case said.
There will three to five smart fortwo dealers selected in South Florida, said Ken Kettenbeil, a Smart USA spokesman. The official dealer licensing agreements should be finalized in October when the national dealer network is announced.
West Palm Beach-based Mercedes-Benz of Palm Beach, at 4000 Okeechobee Blvd., is another smart car dealer. A showroom will also be built to showcase the cars considered ideal for Palm Beach County's narrow streets and small parking spaces, General Manager Brian Sattar said.
The timing for the smart car in the United States is right given growing traffic congestion and high gas prices, Case said. Given its subcompact size, some concerns could arise as to its safety on U.S. roads. But the steel tridion framework was designed to meet U.S. four-star crash ratings.
"Just because it's small doesn't mean it's not safe, and people will like it," Sattar said.
The fortwo gets 40-plus miles per gallon and it fits comfortably into small spaces. Typically, two fortwos can fit into a standard parking space.
In April, Smart USA launched a $99 refundable reservations program for prospective owners to secure the models of their choice and the car goes into production this month.
More than 20,000 cars are reserved in the United States. About 900 reservations are from South Florida, Case said.
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