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smart USA Demonstrates Hybrid Alternative
Consumers lining up for new smart fortwos
Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor -- Design News, November 10, 2008
smart USA said it has more than 30,000 prospective buyers waiting to purchase smart fortwo vehicles, which it demonstrated recently at Consumer Reports' recent "Future of the Car" event here in East Haddam, CT.
The 1,600-lb fortwo, said to achieve an average fuel efficiency of 41 mpg, was transported to the event as a way of showing off a gasoline-burning solution for the future. The event, attended mostly by the press and industry organizations, provided a peek at various energy alternatives, including hydrogen fuel cells, plug-in hybrids, pure electric cars and gasoline-burning vehicles.
"It's almost like going back to the turn of the century, when they had steam power and electric power and gasoline was just in its infancy," said David Champion, senior director of the Consumers Union Auto Test Center. "Now it's a slightly different situation. It's more environmental. We know we're going to run out of petroleum products at some point in time."
smart USA says it has a solution to the auto industry's coming energy problems. Using a one-liter, three-cylinder, gasoline-burning engine that produces peak power of 70 HP, the company says it can help to dramatically reduce conventional fuel consumption. smart's 2009 model has been ranked as the most fuel efficient non-hybrid vehicle in the United States by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 Fuel Economy Guide, and has been classified as an ultra-low emission vehicle by the California Air Resources Board.
At Consumer Reports' event, a smart USA spokesman said orders for the vehicle are outpacing availability in the U.S. "We have over 30,000 people who are still on a waiting list to purchase a smart fortwo," said Ken Kettenbeil, director of communications for the company. Kettenbeil said the first fortwo sale in the U.S. occurred in January and that approximately 20,000 vehicles have been sold since then.
The company expects the fortwo to compete with the future crop of high-mileage hybrids. "The smart fortwo demonstrates there are options, other than hybrids, when seeking excellent fuel economy at a time when fuel prices have been at a historic high," said Dave Schembri, smart USA president, in a company-issued press release.
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