USA Today Says Americans Crazy About Smart Car

Washington DC November 12, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that according to USA Today, 30,000 people have slapped down a refundable $99 for a reservation to buy a Smart car.

When they appear on streets in about two months, it will be the start of what could become a new chapter in American motoring: the modern microcar. "It turns heads wherever it goes," boasts David Schembri, president of Smart USA. "I tell people, 'If you want to feel like a rock star, drive this car'."

The model coming to the USA was designed from the ground up for this market, Schembri says. While being fashioned with U.S. safety standards in mind, it's lost none of its eccentric character.

The Smart car will be priced in three versions: the $11,590 base-level Pure; the more decked-out and most popular $13,590 Passion; and top-of-the-line $16,590 convertible Passion Cabriolet.

Schembri says he expects the car to draw from a wide range of mostly urban hipsters. "The target customer will not be defined by age or income, but by attitude and lifestyle," he says.