You’ve seen them zipping around L.A.; Smart cars. These tiny wonders hit the scene in 2008 but did not take off as Mercedes-Benz expected them to. As such, 2019 was the last year you could buy a brand new Smart car in the States. Boulevard Auto Repair services and repairs Smart cars, and we’d like to have a little fun and share some interesting facts about the most compact of all compact vehicles.
Sold Under Mercedes-Benz
As we said above, Smart cars were sold in the United States as an off-shoot of Mercedes-Benz, which is one of the subsidiaries under German automotive manufacturing giant Daimler AG. The automotive brand, Smart, however, is considered its own brand within the Daimler family of brands in Europe.
Swatch CEO Conceived Smart Cars
If you are old enough to remember trends in the 1980s, you know watch Swatch watches are. Swatch CEO Nicolas Hayek decided in 1982 that we wanted to manufacture a car using the same stratagem and personalization that made Swatch watches so popular. He dubbed the concept the “Swatchmobile.”
Volkswagen Initially Jumped On Board
Realizing competing against established automobile manufacturers was nearly impossible, Hayek approached European automotive companies with his idea and Volkswagen initially jumped on board in 1991. Midway through the project, however, VW bailed in 1993 and Mercedes-Benz took over.
The Smart Name Reflects This
Rather than call the cars Swatchmobiles, Swatch and Mercedes-Benz agreed to manufacture the vehicles under the name Swatch Mercedes ART, i.e. Smart. Despite the name, the logo for the vehicle is a C with an arrow. The C stands for cute and compact, and the arrow represents forward-thinking.
Manufactured in France
Although a German automobile, the primary manufacturing plant for Smart cars is in France. The assembly plant is called “Smartville,” and it is located in Hambach, France. The plant employs 2,000 workers and is considered to be one of the most modern auto manufacturing plants in the world.
Tiny Beyond Belief
What catches people’s eyes as Smart cars drive by is how small they are. Most Smart car models are only 8 1/2 feet long and 5 1/2 feet wide. Oddly, most drivers describe the vehicles as roomy inside, which is somewhat hard to believe. It’s hard to imagine LeBron James driving around in a Smart Car.
Excellent Gas Mileage
A car so small has a gas tank to match, only 8 1/2 gallons, but you’ll still get amazing gas mileage out of a Smart car. On average, these cars can get 40 miles-per-gallon or about 350 miles out of one tank. This is important in Los Angeles where we all drive long distances every day to get where we need to go.
If you have a Smart car, all you need to know is that Boulevard Auto Repair in Sherman Oaks, CA, services and repairs them. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
