The States Are Getting Smarter

For years, the “smart” car has been a staple of European city-living. The tiny cab for two rose to popularity shortly after its joint-venture introduction by both Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, previously known only for their luxury cars and luxury watches, respectively.

Over the years, the duo have introduced everything from smart roadsters to the Vibe-like forfour; the fortwo, however, has been the only model to survive the true tests of time. Today, over 900,000 people are proud owners of one of the tiniest cars in the world. Originally designed to be just long enough to fill the width of a parking space, the smart fortwo has grown ever-more popular for the space-conscious city-dweller.

The car was introduced in the United States early this year and has been popping up across the country ever since. Dealers have been left scrambling to keep up with demand as gas prices grow higher and higher and everyone from New York urbanites to suburban soccer moms have begun to embrace the way of the small car.

As people begin trading in their Hummers and Suburbans for more wallet-friendly models like the Prius, the Civic, and now the smart, the tiny European car that used to be somewhat of a comedic attraction in the US is quickly becoming the next Prius.

The company is set to introduce its smart fortwo in China sometime next year, with a new electric model planned for release in 2010. Its new electric incarnations are currently in the wild throughout the city streets of London as both the company and a small segment of its customers work out the potential bugs.

Today’s roads are a different place than anyone ever could have imagined they would be thirty years ago. Back then, they were still determined that our cars would be airborne by now. Still, America is in the midst of a turning-point that’s just now getting off to a great beginning. Let’s see where it takes us.