[strelnik]

Honeymooned in Paris for a week and saw 4 zillion smart cars including two four doors!
Also saw Citroën Tractions and DS19s from the 50s . Might look to buy items there from now on

 

[vadsoom]

I know, right?! I was in Italy, Australia, and Germany a while ago and it was amazing to see Smarts everywhere! In the village I was staying in northern Italy they were everywhere on the narrow stone streets!

 

[Jo e Lefors]

I know, right?! I was in Italy, Australia, and Germany a while ago and it was amazing to see Smarts everywhere! In the village I was staying in northern Italy they were everywhere on the narrow stone streets!

Exactly, the reason they were designed as a European City car, and not is an American Road Cruiser. After 35 years of working for an airline. I've traveled the world and I will say that most country's still have a plethora a very narrow streets especially in villages and even their country highways are very narrow by our standards. The smart works well there because it's at home on those narrow streets but yet, it can still do highway speeds when it gets out in the country.

 

[Apexerman]

Yep, it was cool to see so many Smarts in Europe. And it completely makes sense in a city like Paris. The U.S. has a minor equivalent: San Francisco. Although I don't live there, my Smart seems to feel right at home with those crowded streets and tight parking spaces. And one can actually see several Smarts throughout the city.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

Yep, it was cool to see so many Smarts in Europe. And it completely makes sense in a city like Paris. The U.S. has a minor equivalent: San Francisco. Although I don't live there, my Smart seems to feel right at home with those crowded streets and tight parking spaces. And one can actually see several Smarts throughout the city.

Old Boston and Philly too.
In the US that's maybe 2%
Was there a Need for a smart sized car here?
It was introduced here in the US during the recession. It was small, cute, a nitch, novelty toy kind of car. But Mercedes wanted nothing to do with bringing in the smart here. It was Penske who thought there was money to be made. The Penske auto group imported the cars here and build smart centers. After a few years, of ownership the cuteness fades. Then the realization of what these car really lack. That's when the smart craze started to die. As sales figures prove. That's when Penske unloaded the smart franchises to Mercedes.
Penske hands off Smart car distribution to Mercedes as sales continue to nosedive
Updated Jan 21, 2019; Posted Feb 15, 2011

They sold great in the beginning and then the reality of smart ownership set in. Owners did not understand the quirks of the strange transmission. After having V8 v6s and 4 cylinder engines owners were not quite ready for the lack of power from a little 3 cylinder engine coupled with its quirky automated manual, and less-than-stellar gas mileage from $$PREMIUM FUEL$$ (no great savings there) for a car it's size. (In the 90's we had the chevy GEO Metro hatchback. Seating for 4 a/c manual trans. ,3 cyl. And 49mpg from Reg. Fuel.
Coupled with smart's buckboard rough ride. You have the reason why sales fell off.

Year	sold
2008	21,146
2009	14,595
2010	5,927

 

[jwight]

All in Paris - it's a great city for smart watching.

 

[smark]

Lots of smart cars, in Italy too.

 

[Bigbusdriver]

One of my favorites from Paris. You will be downsizing now

 

[smark]

There are you tube video’s of driving though European cities. Paris Rome etc. lots of smart cars everywhere on the road. I think there are more smart cars, then Fiat 500’s in the major Italian cities.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

There are you tube video’s of driving though European cities. Paris Rome etc. lots of smart cars everywhere on the road. I think there are more smart cars, then Fiat 500’s in the major Italian cities.

Hold on! Videos of people driving through those large cities I hope they blurred out the license plates of the cars.

 

[smark]

Hold on! Videos of people driving through those large cities I hope they blurred out the license plates of the cars.

Like that going to happen. Blurred plates. What’s really interesting. A guy in North Korea shooting video’s of driving though Pyongyang. A few Mercedes-Benz there, not one smart car

 

[ItsBetterBeingABro]

Yep, it was cool to see so many Smarts in Europe. And it completely makes sense in a city like Paris. The U.S. has a minor equivalent: San Francisco. Although I don't live there, my Smart seems to feel right at home with those crowded streets and tight parking spaces. And one can actually see several Smarts throughout the city.

Smarts are the best in SF. The anti roll back works like a charm while working your way up to a stop sign on a steep street.