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Frankfurt Auto Show: Volkswagen reveals 100 mpg Smart-fighter concept car

jalopnik.com — Running a teaser commercial on German TV last night, VW plans to reveal a reputed 100 mpg Smart-fighting concept car here on the day before the Frankfurt Auto Show. The car's expected to come to market in two years.

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  • axisofphilippe, on 10/10/2007, -5/+8Smart-Fighter? What does that mean?
  • t1m0j5, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11lovely, but when is it coming to the US?
    • unabonger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Never... Big Oil doesn't want you to have it...
  • chrysrobyn, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_%28automobile%29
    Smart is a company that makes the Smart Two-for, designed "for two blokes and a case of beer". It's very small, and has a, ahem, "frugal" engine. They're all over countries with lax collision requirements.
    • etx313, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9Smart is coming to the states next year. And they do not have lax collision test scores guy.
    • raytibbitts, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I used to think it might be a cool idea to drive a Smart. Last week I saw the last few minutes of cleanup follow a minor collision on the freeway, involving a Smart Two-four and a Citroen C3.
      Based on the damage sustained by the Smart, the lack of damage to the C3, and the blood dripping from the stretcher they used to carry away the passenger of the Smart: I have changed my mind - NOT cool.
      • raytibbitts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Meant to type, "following a major collision" - it just seemed minor at first, because both cars were so small, but since someone got hurt so bad, I can't really justify the 'minor' thing.

        I'd hate to imagine what an 'American-sized' car would do to one of these, as they are not like the old, low-lying Saturns, that were advertised as saving their owner's lives.

        The Smart tipped-up 'on edge' and the metal guard rail apparently did most of the damage to the passenger, but still, they must be adding some serious crunch zones (and added weight) to get these things up to U.S. highway standards.
  • lex0nyc, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0edit: nevermind
  • ukthom, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6In fact, isn't Smart in the US? Or will that be next year??? Being in the UK, I've seen these little monsters up close. They're great, until you meet a fully-loaded Excursion head on...


    • t1m0j5, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2will be here soon, auto dealerships already have it on display

      http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13593486/

      • DarkMeld, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Wow one day that thing wouldnt even be able to break the speed limit
    • unabonger, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4They're here now. Saw one on the highway the other day.
      • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Canada has had them for a while. We do drive south of the 49th parallel occassionally.
    • DreKor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I've only seen them in the US with Canadian plates.
      • unknownsoldierX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So, the invasion has begun
        • cyberwarriorx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, they're starting to get pretty common here in Canada.
    • asurroca, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I've seen ***** loads of those Smart cars up here in Orlando... weird
    • Kitsune818, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Saw one the other day with NH plates. First time I've seen one that wasn't Canadian.
    • browman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I've seen one sitting in the middle of a crossroads facing skywards... that musta been fun...
    • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Blame the Smart car, not the Excursion?

      It's not that the Smart Car is too small, it's that too many people drive tanks with no standard bumper height. So you end up with the front license plate stamping your face.
  • Unlgued, on 10/10/2007, -9/+0Hurrah, another fugly smartcar.
  • Ghoztt, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2Another half-truth. GO WATCH "Who Killed the Electric Car" - Go educate yourself. :)
  • mombassa, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16>They're all over countries with lax collision requirements.

    "lax collision requirements"?

    Ignorant fool, the Smart car is a Mercedes Benz product.

    Reject, here's a Smart car test collision video, slamming into a concrete wall at 110km/h, seen by 3.5 million people.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s
    • Godlike, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Can't watch it but pretty much anything hitting a concrete wall head on at 110km/h is going to be utterly toasted...

      ...unless this thing is not, which would utterly amaze me.
    • wiggles, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Hitting a wall at that speed is one thing. Hitting a 3 ton SUV going the same speed, head on, is quite another. The occupants of the car might survive the wall, but the SUV would kill the occupants instantly. Compare insurance institute figures to government crash test figures if you don't believe me. My Honda Civic Si, for example, has a 5-star crash test rating from the government, but has a high incidence of driver death in real world accidents according to the insurance industry.
      • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Are SUVs more immovable than a WALL?

        Again, sounds like another fault of Suburban Tanks than what we should be driving. Or at the very least standardize the bumpers so the crumple zones actually connect with each other.
        • wiggles, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1According to the laws of physics (the specifics of which escape me now), if you hit an object at a given velocity, you also have to take into account the mass and velocity of the object you hit. Add the two velocities together, and use that to calculate the force of impact. If the wall is not moving, the force of impact on the car is a function only of the mass of the car and its velocity (the exact equation escapes me), whereas if the wall is moving, you have to take into account the force the wall exerts due to its mass and velocity. It's been 15 years since I've done vector math in high school physics, but perhaps someone else can help.
    • bdbr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That's great, as long as you're running into walls. How about running into an SUV with a bumper the same height as your neck?
      • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Then take SUV's off the road and replace them with safer Smart cars that don't decapitate people.
        • wiggles, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So you say you want to restrict liberty for safety? Ben Franklin would be most displeased with you.
    • scrimaxinc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So from the looks of the test crashes in the video you'd probably survive, but your legs would be absolutely crushed.
  • SilverBlade2k, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9The Smart car has the same safety features as a regular car, maybe more because Mercedes sells them (here in Canada). Big Oil would want you to believe that a smart car isn't safe to drive because they sell less oil for every smart car sold.
  • bigteebo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The front view makes it look like it's smiling at you.
  • harrisbradley, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It fights smarts... with 100 mpg
  • wassim2k, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Looks like a Smart Car with a VW badge on it. http://www.smartusa.com/
  • Amoeba16, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6The nineteen-fifties mentality of "bigger car = safer car" is astonishing to see still rearing its ignorant head. Do these people not, say, *research* their comments before spouting? Like checking out safety ratings and crash test results?

    I had some chick tell me she was "afraid" to drive with me in my Mini Cooper because it was "a death trap if anything bigger than a wheelbarrow hits us." Her vehicle of choice was an SUV about the size of the Empire State Building, with a golybillion cupholders and a built-in dildo.

    I'm a commuter, and I can tell you this: Smart cars keep up with traffic, and seem to fare in minor collisions on par or better with any other car I see on the road. I've never seen a major collision involving a Smart, so maybe the drivers are smarter, too.
    • 298th_Scat, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I don't think that is necessarily true. Smaller cars offer less crush ability. Thus when you hit something you body comes to a stop much faster then in a larger car. Though a smart car is remarkably strong if the car doesn't give the person driving will. I would rather have the car take more damage then me.
      • millersteve, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1While yes, America is still stuck in the "bigger is better" mentality, these small cars don't really offer a lot of practicality. For a single commuter, the smart car would be great b/c of the amount of money you would save. But its not practical for a family, or if you need to transport things like groceries. I drive an Impala and b/c i go to college, i am grateful everyday for the trunk space that i have in my car. The SUV is not going away though - they are becoming more and more fuel efficient themselves without sacrificing much space or safety for that matter.
        • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Vans have more space. SUV's are not safer than other vehicles.

          Unless you needs the space of a van and the clearance of a truck, you're better off getting either a van or a truck. But people don't buy SUV's for clearance. They buy them to make themselves look tougher.

          If you think your SUV makes you tough, and think driving down a gravel road is offroading, you're a poser.
      • bromac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You don't need a ***** full size impala to haul books. Hell, most people in College get by without a car.
    • Egoist, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Wow, Amoeba16. You shout and talk down at everyone like you know what you're saying, but the sad part is how sadly sadly ignorant you truly are -- especially when it comes to physics.

      You're trying to smash two arguments in one and paint everyone with a wide brush. The "1950's argument," as you claim, was actually that cars made out of steel would fair better in a wreck than a car that crumples up. These days that's no longer true. But it *is* true that bigger cars are safer on the road, especially when impacting something of the same relative mass as your own car. You can't claim that a Smart car would fair as well in a wreck against a Dodge Ram as a Ford Explorer would.

      The larger the car, the larger the crumple zone. A smaller car like the Smart car is only safe if every other car on the road is a Smart car.
  • Godlike, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How much are they? I would totally test-drive one.
    • munkyxtc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They start at $12k and go up to $17 depending on model. Check out the website - http://www.smartusa.com/
      I actually work for Penske Corp and they had them here at our corp offices last week. I sat in one and checked it out; definately not great for a family of 8 but for a single person or couple who doesn't need to haul large items often this would be good. I considered buying one but I currently receive 30-32MPG in my existing car and haven't quite paid that off yet but the Smart car is definately something I wouldn't overlook in the future.
      //non corporate shill opinion.
  • Error601, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9So, basically it's going to be a motorcycle with a cover and an ipod.
    • Floodle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It's more like a motorcycle wrapped in a safety cage
  • Ju1c3, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3Smart cars belong on a golf course unless you put a Hayabusa engine in one.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV4HdsDZX6c

    Why get 100mpg if it takes you 2.5 hours to get 100miles?
    • bdbr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I saw a bunch of them on the Autobahn, and many of them were going damn fast.
    • zengonzo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Stopping for gas three times less often would make up quite a bit of travel time.
      • Ju1c3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0bull... you figure it takes 5 minutes to fill up. if i am going 1000 miles at 75 mph in my car you figure it yould take me 13.333 hours PLUS 15 minutes for gas. you going 1000 miles in your car at 55mph is 18.18181 hours without stopping for gas. we are not even taking into account the acceleration times.

        id rather put $50 more in gas into my car and get there 5 hours earlier. AUCTUALLY, even earlier then that as you would have more bathroom trips form being in the car longer. so in essence you are making the stops anyways.

        i win.
  • TellarHK, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Some people might consider that little video NSFW, considering there's schlong hanging out when the guy falls into the pool.
  • Kitsune818, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I'd love to replace my current VW with a smaller more fuel efficient model. Especially if they made it rear engined (just for nostalgia). Some of us live in high population density areas and don't need a road-beast to get around.
  • rootnik, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Das Auto
  • Thomaschaaf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Bet its just a new Fox..
  • mombassa, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I've driven Smarts in Germany. One thing they're not is slow. They have no problems on the autobahns and very stable. I drifted one on concrete, no problems.

    As for a head on collision with an SUV, what difference would it make if you're in a Smart or another SUV? A head-on collision at highway speeds would be fatal in anything.
  • hcarlens, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The thing I hate about concept cars is that they show us how much current cars in the market suck, and what we're missing out on, but it always takes them ages to release the technology demonstrated by them.
  • gareth84, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I have a smart car, and been in a crash, it is safer than most cars on the road. Also you can get a lot in the boot - I can do a full shop. Only problem is the road and engine noise and ride are really bad.
  • TomT223, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0Fact. Nobody in America is ever going to purchase a wimpy vehicle like that. Not saying there is anything wrong with a wimpy vehicle but that's reality.
    • skyshock1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2San Francisco is still part of America last I checked. It'll sell like mad, just maybe not in Texas.
      • AggieFalcon01, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The People's Republic of California is frankly a whole different planet from the rest of the world. Besides, I live in Houston, and I see dozens of hybrid Civics and Priuses every day on our freeways. Leads to some smug pollution, but what do you do?
    • ai42, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2That is not true. Look at the Prius they are selling quite well even here in Texas. Sure it's not everyone's cup of tea. But honestly 100mpg there will be people with long commutes etc who will be interested in this. Not everyone is a muscle car guy.
      • AggieFalcon01, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yep, in Houston, I see countless Priuses and hybrid Civics every day (makes for a bit of smug pollution, but oh well).
        Plus, Houston has a giant amount of urban sprawl, leading to massive populations who do the long commute like you mentioned. They'll eat these cars up.
      • TomT223, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Have you looked at this vehicle? It makes the Civic look like a Suburban.
  • AggieFalcon01, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Am I the only one who doesn't get it? The link goes to a blog post that is big on hype and skimpy on details, but it links to a very small, low-detail sketch of what looks like a Smart-car outline, with VW on it. Bury for overrated.
  • blackpancakes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Smart fighter like street fighter im black and im proud!! im a scraper oh yea!!!
  • jumisko, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It will never make it to the USA. 1.) It doesn't waste enough gas, and 2.) It is too well designed and American taste tends toward the vulgar.
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